QBE today announced a $100,000 donation to the Australian Red Cross disaster relief effort in Townsville.

Suncorp earlier announced it has donated $200,000 to the humanitarian aid provider.

“We know when the rain hits it’s just the beginning, and there’s a great deal to do to get these communities back on their feet,” QBE Australia Pacific CEO Vivek Bhatia said. “Relief from organisations such as the Red Cross is critical to aid response and recovery,”

The insurer says claims in Townsville and other flood-hit north Queensland areas are a priority.

“We’ve also mobilised our assessors and tradespeople and have people on the ground in Townsville to provide support to our customers,” Mr Bhatia said.

“We’ll continue to work closely with our customers throughout the claims process to get them back on their feet – assessing damage and actioning repairs as soon as it’s safe and possible.”

Townsville losses total $606 million from 15,571 claims received by last Friday, according to the Insurance Council of Australia.