Insurers Paid Out Car Claims From Ditwah Fast — Why Is Rs 28bn Still Unsettled a Year Later?

Cyclone Ditwah flooded thousands of vehicles across the country in November last year, and insurers logged roughly Rs 57 billion in claims nationwide. By May this year insurers had already settled around 79% of motor claims, but by mid-2026 only about 44% of the full Rs 57 billion bill had been paid out, with close to Rs 28 billion still stuck - most of it non-motor claims like flooded homes and shops. Some owners say that's exactly how it should be: a car is quick to assess and cheap to fix next to a house, and getting people back on the road matters for jobs and the wider economy. Others call it unfair - insurers chase the easy, lower-value payouts first while families who lost entire homes or businesses are still waiting a year on, chasing the same companies for money they're owed. If you had a vehicle damaged in the floods, how long did your claim actually take, and did you have to push hard for it? Did a "settled" claim turn out to be a lowball offer once the garage bill came in? ඔයාගේ වාහනේ ඩිට්වා ගංවතුරෙදි පාඩු වුණාද? සල්ලි ගන්න කීයක් කල් ගියාද?