Disaster recovery: don’t go it alone

MidCoast Council

Image: Recovery Assistance Point service providers at Bulahdelah

As a declared disaster-impacted region after the rain event on Wednesday 6 July, MidCoast residents can now receive help on how to access fast-tracked support.

To provide guidance in relation to the support available and understand how to access it, more Recovery Assistance Points are planned for the MidCoast community.

This means you can talk face-to-face with people who can help you apply for assistance.

Recovery Assistance Points will be on:

  • Thursday 4 August, 10am – 4pm at Club Forster (auditorium), 19 Strand Street Forster.
  • Friday 5 August, 10am – 4pm at Club Taree (auditorium), 121 Wingham Road, Taree. There will also be a special information session hosted by Local Land Services at 10:30am on pasture, animal health and riparian repair post flood.

You’ll be able to talk to representatives from Service NSW, Red Cross, Services Australia, Resilience NSW, National Recovery and Resilience Agency, MidCoast Council, Lifeline, Farmgate, Local Land Services and NSW Department of Primary Industries. There will also be financial counsellors on hand, mental health support information and provision for referrals to other services, such as BlazeAid and Telstra.

“So far, our Disaster Recovery Hubs have helped residents across the MidCoast with issues ranging from domestic flooding to business impacts,” said Council’s Director of Liveable Communities, Paul De Szell.

“Our community has told us they want that in-person support so we have worked with our partner organisations to organise these new dates. We invite anyone who has been impacted by the recent flooding to come along to find out how they can get help.”

There are disaster recovery payments from the Australian Government available to residents impacted by flooding. Primary producers may also be eligible for a range of financial supports including Special Disaster Grants of up to $75,000. Rural Landholder Grants and further funding will be available to primary producers and critical industries to assist in the protection of supply chains, boosting recovery and rebuilding efforts.

/Public Release. View in full here.