The State and Federal Governments have come together to support communities affected by the Victorian storms in August 2024, including Cardinia and Baw Baw, with disaster assistance now available for individuals and councils impacted.
Jointly funded under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), councils could use the assistance to coordinate debris removal from homes to make them safe and habitable.
Eligible community members whose homes have been damaged by storms in Victoria and their principal place of residence is uninhabitable or unable to be accessed would also be able to access new emergency relief payments.
The funding would also allow for emergency and asset reconstruction works to restore essential public assets like footpaths, bridges, levees and other infrastructure, supporting local communities in their recovery.
Councils currently eligible for assistance were Baw Baw, Cardinia, Greater Shepparton, Latrobe, Mansfield, Murrindindi and Yarra Ranges.
The number of Victorian councils eligible for disaster assistance was expected to increase as councils assess damage and formally notify for assistance.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister said the new assistance program would help councils clean up communities, maintain public safety and reinstate critical assets
“We are acting to relieve the financial pressures on local councils and affected individuals as the cleanup gets underway following these severe storms,” she said.
“Our government will continue working closely with Victoria to understand what the community needs and how we can assist.
“I’d like to commend the work of first responders who have had to manage high volumes of calls for assistance and brave difficult conditions to help their communities.”
State Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes said while the past couple of weeks had been a long and stressful period for those affected by the storms, the road ahead would carry plenty of other challenges.
“I want to thank communities for their patience as emergency services have worked to clear debris and get power reconnected,” she said
“Together we are helping people get back to normal as quickly as possible, by making houses safe and restoring the essential public assets that communities need.
“We will continue to work closely with those affected to ensure they get the support they need to recover.”
Emergency Recovery Victoria (ERV) has been working with local councils to assess impacts, with affected local councils encouraged to submit event notification forms as soon as possible via the ERV Claims Management System and can contact ERV at ndfa@justice.vic.gov.au to discuss the availability of assistance.
For more information on ongoing disaster relief efforts, visit disasterassist.gov.au or emergency.vic.gov.au/relief
