Insurers have declared the bushfire-hit towns of southern Tasmania a catastrophe.

Fires have destroyed dozens of buildings across the Tasman Peninsula, east of Hobart, spurred on by record high temperatures.

With fires still threatening homes in the region on Saturday, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) declared the affected towns a catastrophe, and created an industry task force to respond to the damage.

The declaration includes the towns of Dunalley and Connellys Marsh, as well as Forcett, Copping, Murdunna, Boomer Bay, Primrose Sands, Susans Bay, Eaglehawk Neck and Taranna.

ICA chief executive Rob Whelan said it was too early to have an accurate estimate of the total cost of the disaster.

"The ICA is liaising with the Tasmanian government, the Tasmanian Fire Service, State Emergency Service and local governments to get a more accurate assessment," he said on Saturday.

Mr Whelan said a team would likely be sent to community shelters to provide victims with information about their insurance policies.