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Storm Assistance For Victorian Communities

20 December 2018

Disaster assistance is now available for community members and councils of Alpine, Buloke, Indigo, Moorabool, Wangaratta and Wodonga to help those affected by the recent storms and floods that commenced on 13 December.

Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Assistant Minister for Home Affairs Senator the Hon. Linda Reynolds, who has responsibility for Commonwealth disaster assistance, said the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments were committed to supporting the immediate needs of those affected.

“These storms caused significant damage to residential properties and public infrastructure, with parts of Victoria hit with more than a month’s worth of rain in one day,” Assistant Minister Reynolds said.

“A range of assistance is now available to aid community recovery and provide funds to ensure damaged public infrastructure is restored as quickly as possible.”

Victoria State Emergency Service responded to more than 1600 requests for assistance from 13-16 December, working with emergency management partners to support impacted communities.

Victorian Minister for Police and Emergency Services the Hon. Lisa Neville said the storms and subsequent flooding had significantly affected communities across the State.

“We know being displaced after emergencies is difficult. This support is for people experiencing personal hardship and also provides local councils with funding to assist in the clean-up,” Minister Neville said.

“If you have been affected please reach out to your local council to discuss what assistance you may need.

“As always, our emergency management agencies did a remarkable job helping communities and I commend them for their efforts.

“We will continue to assess the impact of this severe weather event and further assistance can be made available to affected communities as required.”

Households in the local government areas of Alpine, Buloke, Indigo, Moorabool, Wangaratta and Wodonga can now access the following emergency payments to relieve personal hardship and distress:

  • Emergency Relief Assistance Payments, which provide payments of up to $540 per adult and $270 per child (up to a maximum of $1,890 per eligible household) are available to help meet immediate needs, including emergency food, shelter, clothing, and personal items.

Additionally, the funding arrangements allow for state government agencies and the Alpine, Buloke, Indigo, Moorabool, Wangaratta and Wodonga councils to apply for funding to help cover counter disaster operations such as sandbagging and construction of temporary levees, and the restoration of essential public assets such as roads and stormwater infrastructure.

Affected local councils should contact the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance on (03) 9651 2327 or email ndfa@dtf.vic.gov.au to discuss the availability of assistance.

Information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at disasterassist.gov.auExternal Link , the Department of Health and Human Services website at services.dhhs.vic.gov.au and the VicEmergency website at emergency.vic.gov.au/relief.

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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