Storms that ravaged the north coast of NSW and southern areas of the Gold Coast last week could land the insurance industry with a bill of up to $6 million, according to the Insurance Disaster and Response Organisation (IDRO).

Waters rose to more than 10 metres in some areas of northern NSW, and more than 3000 Lismore residents were forced to evacuate their homes.

The storms in Queensland didn’t stop for 36 hours, flooding just about every Gold Coast suburb. The deluge left more than 26,000 residents in south-east Queensland without power and forced the closure of the Gold Coast Airport.

While there’s been widespread flooding of some areas, IDRO’s Queensland Co-ordinator Graham Jones told Sunrise Exchange News the “vast majority of claims from the Gold Coast will be met under policy conditions”.

He says insurers have already received hundreds of claims, and more will come over the next few days when people have a proper chance to gauge the full extent of the damage.

“The worst hit area has been the southern part of the Gold Coast, but there has been widespread damage, including water damage to cars and houses, overflowing drains, flash flooding and damaged roofs,” he said.