Jointly funded disaster assistance was last week made available in an additional 12 local government areas (LGAs) following the severe storms and flooding that continue to impact large areas of New South Wales.
The latest LGAs to be damage assessed are: Albury, Berrigan, Carrathool, Cobar, Federation, Griffith, Hay, Leeton, Murray River, Murrumbidgee, Narrandera and Wagga Wagga.
A total of 43 LGAs are now subject to natural disaster declarations for the severe storms and flooding that began on September 14.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Senator Murray Watt said damage to areas within these LGAs had been significant.
“As the full extent of damage is realised, the state and federal governments are continuing to extend support where it’s needed,” Mr Watt said.
“The intense floods have left councils with major repair works, so we’ve made assistance available to help councils with the cost of rebuilding essential infrastructure and recovery operations to get them underway as soon as possible.”
NSW Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the natural disaster declarations will unlock assistance for more communities affected by flooding.
“The flooding we are seeing across large parts of inland New South Wales is ongoing, slow moving and widespread which is making it challenging to assess the damage and impact as the emergency response continues,” Ms Cooke said.
“We are continuing to assess the impacts of this flood event as quickly as possible, with disaster declarations like these the crucial first step in unlocking assistance for those in need.”
The jointly funded assistance is being provided through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Assistance available under the DRFA may include:
• Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply);
• Support for local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets;
• Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations; and
• Freight subsidies for primary producers.
For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
To apply for a concessional loan, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au.
Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au.
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