Insured losses from Cyclone Debbie have reached $224 million from 19,600 claims, according to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA).

The final figure could exceed $1 billion, as claims are expected to rise rapidly over the coming days and weeks.

Last week ICA extended its catastrophe declaration to include areas hit by Debbie as it moved south, meaning victims of severe flooding in north NSW and southeast Queensland will have their claims prioritised.

The Category 4 cyclone landed at Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays last Tuesday, with wind gusts of up to 260kmh and heavy rain.

ICA CEO Rob Whelan says insurers are liaising with emergency services and governments in Queensland and NSW, and they have mobilised response teams to help households and businesses.

“I assure NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that the insurance industry is harnessing its resources to help customers in a fair and timely manner,” Mr Whelan said.

ICA has established an industry taskforce, activated its disaster hotline and mobilised staff to work directly with local services and affected policyholders, he says.

Catastrophe modeller AIR Worldwide says Cyclone Debbie was the most powerful storm to hit Australia since Cyclone Yasi struck Queensland in 2011.

AIR Worldwide scientist Anna Trevino says Debbie moved at a crawl over the Coral Sea before strengthening from a tropical low five days before landfall.

Suncorp, which has so far received more than 6000 claims relating to Debbie, is surveying damage by using drones for the first time.

Spokesman Josh Cooney says the unmanned aerial vehicles can view damage in places too difficult or dangerous for humans.

 “The drone imagery is giving our teams important insights into the extent of the damage in areas that are still inaccessible due to closed roads and floodwaters.”