First things first, let's say a big thank you to the staff of the Bureau of Meteorology who were putting out very accurate warnings about Monday's extreme weather event as early as 8am.

A lot of people would have heard these while on their way to work. This must have gone some way to helping minimise the damage.

Despite the early warning the outcome was still literally catastrophic. That was acknowledged by the Insurance Council of Australia on Tuesday.

Early estimates of the damage bill are now nudging $100 million.

It's also appropriate to acknowledge the efforts of the many ACT State Emergency Service, ACT Rural Fire Service, ACT Forestry and Trees, Transport Canberra, City Services and electricity workers who responded to a record 1911 calls for assistance.

Evoenergy did an excellent job getting power back on for most of the 3150 homes and businesses initially blacked out.

We now need to focus on the cleanup, the restoration of remaining affected services and ensuring property is repaired promptly.

Transport will be an issue for many until their cars are fixed. Don't drive your car if the glass is cracked or broken. This could result in serious injury, even death.

Insurers have had a lot of experience with this type of weather event and know what to do. Vehicle repairs will need to be triaged with the emphasis on getting people back on the road.

Insurance companies must make every effort to ensure quality repairs are carried out by licensed professionals. People have paid their premiums in good faith to cover contingencies such as this.

On the transport front, if there is going to be a short term increase in demand while the backlog of vehicle repairs is addressed maybe the ACT government could look at surging public transport services and waiving fares for affected passengers. This may even lead to a lasting takeup in demand.

We need to repair damaged roofs and solar systems as quickly as possible. More wet weather could be on the way and nobody wants to winter under a leaking roof.

As is always the case, the economic burden of events such as this falls most heavily on the poor; students, pensioners and single parent families who may drive an older car and who can't afford comprehensive insurance for example. Perhaps the ACT government and the insurance industry could look at ways to assist affected people in these situations.

The good news is there have been no deaths or major injuries. Cars, roofs and solar panels can all be repaired. People are much harder to fix or replace.

Let's all work together, carpool if necessary and dial the patience and consideration meter up to 11. We're all in this together. While everybody will want their repairs done straight away that just isn't going to happen. Kicking up a song and dance won't make anybody feel better.

On the broader front, some will no doubt cite the storm as either proof or disproof of climate change.

It's fair to say that while many parts of Australia have experienced such storms in the past they do seem to be increasing in frequency.

If this is the case then it does support the predictions by Ross Garnaut and others of increased extreme weather events as a result of global warming and climate change.

While not necessarily the canary in the coal mine, what happened on Monday could be a sign of things to come.