Storm season 2025/26: is your business ready?
2025/26 storm season is here – and the damage is mounting.
As at 28 November 2025, QBE has received over $39 million1 in claims that we’re working through, from just two major Queensland hail and storm events. And it’s only the beginning. Our actuaries expect the total bill to climb much higher.
Don’t wait for the next severe weather alert. Start with our storm season checklist for quick, actionable tips to help protect your business now.
Download our storm season checklist
Check your premises before the next storm
If your business has a physical location, it should be maintained in much the same way as a residential premises. And if it’s in a flood zone, consider extra risk management measures.
Before storm season, consider these steps to help protect your property:
- Clear your gutters so they can handle heavy rain.
- Check your roof and internal gutters for damage and repair them to stop water getting inside.
- Trim back nearby trees to reduce the risk of branches causing damage.
If your premises are rented, speak with the building owner to ensure these areas are addressed.
When storing stock, keep it off the floor. Using pallets or skids might give you a better chance of keeping goods above any water that might flow through the building.
“Of course, some businesses will have stock stored outdoors, and in these cases are likely to have a range of structures such as greenhouses, polytunnels and shade cloths, to name a few” says Russell Windred, Senior Manager, Product Portfolio at QBE Australia.
“When it comes to these more fragile structures, businesses should check their policy to ensure that they have adequate cover for their business’ needs. Businesses may also want to consider completing regular maintenance checks and moving high value stock indoors whenever possible during storm season.”
Help safeguard your stock from hail and flooding
Stock is the lifeblood of many businesses, and often, for example in the case of garden nurseries and car retailers, that stock is often stored outdoors.
“Hailstorms can cause significant damage and can often change direction without warning taking businesses by surprise. Being able to quickly get stock under cover is key in the event of a storm – whether that means moving it indoors or under suitable hail protection,” says Windred.
In addition, when storms strike without warning, they can also bring with them large volumes of water in a short period of time.
Ensuring any stock held in basements is always off the ground, on pallets or racking can often help protect it in these scenarios – lifting goods a few inches off the ground could make all the difference if you get water ingress.
Sandbags, too, can be invaluable in preventing water from entering your premises in the first place.
Keep your vehicles and people safe
It’s not just car retailers that have business vehicles. From delivery firms to mobile service providers, taxi companies to farmers, many businesses rely on transportation each and every day.
“It goes without saying to get your vehicles and machinery undercover if possible,” says Megan Prendergast, Head of Commercial Motor & Fleet at QBE Australia Pacific.
The most important thing is the safety of the people in the vehicle.
“If a storm hits, pull over somewhere safe and find shelter,” says Prendergast.
“The safety of people in the vehicle has to be the priority.”
For businesses, that means ensuring the protocol for driving in storms is known, understood and adhered to – regardless of any external pressures.
The amount of insurance cover businesses hold for vehicle damage can vary widely.
“For example, on a farm, there might be multiple vehicles and pieces of machinery, but depending on the terms and cover limits and exclusions on the policy, only loss to the value of one vehicle may be covered, if a claim is made and approved.”
Consider a business continuity plan
Of course, you’re never going to eradicate the threat of a storm. And if your business premises suffer serious damage or flooding, or your location is cut off, it’s going to cause problems.
That’s where a business continuity plan comes into its own.
“Every business can benefit from a business continuity plan that outlines what you’ll do in different scenarios,” says Windred.
“What will you do if your suppliers’ route is blocked? What will you do if your building is damaged?
“Spending a few hours exploring different eventualities and working out how you’d respond is time well spent, and far better than having to think on your feet in the middle of a disaster,” says Windred.
As part of your business continuity plan, you may want to identify a Cloud back-up system for all of your business information, if you don’t already have that in place.
In addition, a back-up generator to supply emergency power may be important, as is talking with your neighbouring businesses.
“Many businesses, particularly in more regional areas, have a reciprocal help plan in place,” says Windred. “Speak with other business owners to see how you could help each other should you need it.”
Many businesses combine a business continuity plan with business interruption cover, which is designed to help with income and expenses while the business gets back on its feet after a severe weather event.
When was the last time you reviewed your insurance cover?
Think about speaking to your broker to check you have the appropriate cover for your business’ needs.
If you haven’t reviewed the insured values in a few years, you may want to do so. Costs of building repairs and goods may have increased significantly.
When a storm causes damage, lodging a claim quickly often means the insurer can respond and start the claims process sooner.
Ready to storm-proof your business?
1 Source: QBE Business Intelligence claims data for Business and Consumer insurance products as at 28/11/2025 for CAT 853 and CAT 855.