Flood insurance costing $30,000 highlights which areas should not be developed for housing

Thousands of the people enduring the heartbreaking sight of their homes sinking beneath a rising brown tide across the east of NSW are doing so knowing they don’t have insurance coverage.

It’s devastating enough for so many to watch a lifetime of possessions sink beneath the floodwaters, but doubly so for those who aren’t sure how they can afford to replace even the necessities of modern life.

The reason so many are uninsured is either that their insurer won’t offer flood protection at all, or that it is prohibitively expensive, with residential premiums of up to $30,000 a year being cited.

“If you live in a very high-risk area where your entire house could be flooded on a regular event then, yes, it’s probably likely that’s what you’d…