Gold Coast woman's home without a roof nearly one year on from Cyclone Alfred

When Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred ripped across south-east Queensland in March last year, Nadine shielded herself under a mattress as the roof ripped off her Gold Coast unit.

"I had a mattress and doona, mattress over my legs and had the doona over me and the pillow, mobile phone and a torch," she recalled.

"I could see the roof come off. It was really scary."

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Police went door-to-door evacuating Nadine's neighbours, while they found her trapped under debris after kicking her door in.

She came out mostly unscathed, but everything she owned was gone.

"I know I'm pretty tough, I've been told I'm pretty tough, but I've had a lot of sleepless nights, crying, anxiousness," Nadine said.

But nearly 12 months down the line, she still hasn't been able to return to her home.

With an insurance claim holding up repairs, seemingly nothing has been done to fix Nadine's unit.

"[The insurance company] needs to be rebuilding, fix the roof, get everything done, start, give me a scope of work, do something," Nadine urged.

"We pay money, big money for these insurance companies. I just want them to do something about it," she said.

Nadine's insurance provider, Strata Community Insurance, has been paying for her rent in another temporary apartment.

But her neighbour Chris, who lives on the lower level of the complex, says they should be doing more.

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"There's eight badly affected units in this complex. We've still got a temporary roof on which is leaking and causing a lot of water damage," he said.

"For God sakes this is ridiculous, 12 months on, we've still got a building with no roof, you've accepted our money, you've got our policy, where's our roof?"

In a statement, Strata Community Insurance told A Current Affair the damage to the building was worse than anticipated, which "extended the timeline of the claim".

"The insurance claim is significant... when affected walls and ceilings were removed... significant pre-existing issues were identified, including compromised fire walls, missing structural fixings, and other serious building defects," a spokesperson said.

"This has necessarily extended the timeline of the claim.

"We are working to expedite the rebuild whilst ensuring all work meets required safety and compliance standards and remain committed to supporting Ms Wright and other affected residents."

The building manager, Pinnacle Strata, said it has engaged lawyers to act on behalf of the body corporate in relation to the matter.

"Pinnacle Strata is working closely with the Committee and the Body Corporate's solicitor to achieve a favourable outcome for the Body Corporate and the affected lot owners, a spokesperson said.

"While Pinnacle Strata is not responsible for the management or determination of insurance claims, we continue to work collaboratively with the Committee and its professional advisers to ensure the best possible outcome for the Body Corporate and lot owners."

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FULL STRATA COMMUNITY INSURANCE STATEMENT

Strata Community Insurance takes its responsibility to policyholders seriously, and we understand the significant impact this event has had on Ms Wright and all affected residents at Broadwater Keys.

Background and Complexity

On 7 March 2025, ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred caused substantial damage to the Broadwater Keys scheme, with a section of metal roofing being peeled from the corner of the building – exposing Ms Wright's unit 32 and impacting several other units. Following notification of the claim, we immediately arranged urgent work to secure the building and ensure resident safety.

The insurance claim is significant, with complexity exacerbated by unforeseen, pre-existing building compliance issues discovered during restoration works. Specifically, when affected walls and ceilings were removed as part of the initial restoration, significant pre-existing issues were identified including compromised fire walls, missing structural fixings, and other serious building defects. This required extensive expert assessment and careful scoping to ensure the building may be reinstated to a safe and compliant standard. This has necessarily extended the timeline of the claim, given the need for a variety of suppliers and experts including building consultants and engineers to undertake assessments.

Support for Ms Wright

We have prioritised Ms Wright's welfare throughout this process.

• Temporary accommodation was arranged immediately following the event.
• A long-term lease was secured on 11 April 2025 (one month after the event).
• A six-month lease extension has recently been approved from April 2026 (ensuring accommodation through to October 2026).
• Temporary accommodation payments have been continuously and proactively funded well in advance of expiry dates to mitigate any financial hardship.

Current Status

We have been communicating regularly with the insured body corporate's insurance broker and body corporate manager. A comprehensive scope of works was finalised recently and has been issued to the insured body corporate's insurance broker and body corporate manager for review. We have also instructed appointed experts to arrange immediate site meetings with three panel builders to review the scope and commence the tender process.

We are working to expedite the rebuild whilst ensuring all work meets required safety and compliance standards and remain committed to supporting Ms Wright and other affected residents at Broadwater Keys through to the completion of works.

FULL PINNACLE STRATA STATEMENT

By way of clarification, after receiving an unsatisfactory response from the Body Corporate's insurer, the Body Corporate Committee resolved to engage Chambers Russell Lawyers to act on behalf of the Body Corporate in relation to this matter.

Pinnacle Strata is working closely with the Committee and the Body Corporate's solicitor to achieve a favourable outcome for the Body Corporate and the affected lot owners.

The Body Corporate has also engaged an insurance broker to manage its insurance affairs and claims. Pinnacle Strata does not receive any commissions or benefits in connection with the Body Corporate's insurance policy.

While Pinnacle Strata is not responsible for the management or determination of insurance claims, we continue to work collaboratively with the Committee and its professional advisers to ensure the best possible outcome for the Body Corporate and lot owners.