Monday 6 September 2010

Will uninsured be out in the cold?

By David
in Christchurch

I’m shocked to learn that the Earthquake commission’s “EQCover applies only to residential homes that are insured against fire.”

In my naivety I had always assumed that the state’s EQC covered everyone, because private insurance wouldn’t cover earthquake damage. I should have known better.

So will all those too poor to afford fire insurance be out in the cold?

The Cabinet is meeting today and John Key has already recognized that the bill beyond what is covered by insurance will be “large”.

The government was quick to extend the South Canterbury Finance bailout to investors who weren’t covered under the Government Guarantees Scheme.

The Left must demand that the same thing happens to the far needier victims of the Christchurch earthquake.

And we must work to ensure that Christchurch doesn’t end up like New Orleans, where working class people received little or no assistance, while the disaster was used as an excuse to unleash an experiment in “disaster capitalism”.

1 comment:

aberfoyle said...

It appears that the government is iaking the subliminal line that those uninsured have done so by choice.That being so, it would seem that there will be no relief coming from them,unless some political pressure can applied.

There may be more compassion by way of the mayoral fund,and being the local elections coming, that may be a pressure avenue.Then again so far the handling of the catastrophy by the mayor, would see him having a exellent chance of being re-elected.