Contact Your Community Resilience Officers
Should you have been impacted, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Clare Danby at Council, who is the Shire’s Community Resilience Officer. They may not have answers to everything, but are linked in with many agencies and will do their best to help. They are here to support members of the community in recovering from this event. They can be reached by contacting council on 02 6655 7300.
Service NSW assistance
Health Services
NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE - GIVIT REGISTERED ORGANISATION
The Neighbourhood centres of the Bellingen Shire are registered as a recipient organisation with GIVIT (the national approved donation coordination body). Please contact them should you be seeking assistance in needing food, clothing or anything else due to the Floods. They can be reached by phone on 6655 1239, email them at bnc.reception@ncobs.org.au or drop in to the Centre.
CLICK HERE if you want to know how to support/donate our community and those further afield.
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED:
Relevant for the February/March Storm and Flood Disaster in Northern NSW (Inc. Bellingen Shire)
- Complete the Disaster Assistance Finder to find out what support is available to you.
- For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
-
Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child is now available for people impacted by the February/March 2022 Flood event. Call the Services Australia Disaster Assistance phone lines on 180 22 66.
The AGDRP is a one-off, non-means tested payment and is available to eligible people in those affected local government areas who have suffered a significant loss, including a severely damaged or destroyed home or serious injury. Bellingen Shire Council is included as an eligible LGA for residents to receive the payment, pending eligibility of those residents - Further information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at disasterassist.gov.au and Service NSW at disasterassistance.service.nsw.gov.au
JOB SEEKERS
-
The Australian Government has lifted mutual obligation requirements for job seekers on the Mid-North Coast Employment Region from 08/03/2022 – 17/03/2022. This may change, so follow the advice from the Job Search website: https://jobsearch.gov.au/mor
These Australian Government payments are administered by Services Australia.
- The fastest and easiest way to claim disaster assistance is over the phone by calling 180 22 66. These Services Australia Disaster Assistance phone lines are open from 8am to 8pm local time, seven days a week.
KEY CONTACTS FOR ASSISTANCE
- For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
- To apply for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and/or Australian Government Disaster Recovery Allowance, call the Services Australia Disaster Assistance phone lines on 180 22 66.
- Further information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at disasterassist.gov.au and Service NSW at disasterassistance.service.nsw.gov.au
The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the NSW Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) are working with the National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NRRA) and Resilience NSW to ensure that disaster recovery assistance is made available to those impacted by the ongoing storm and flood event unfolding in large areas of northern NSW.
NSW residents who have been impacted by severe storms and floods are encouraged to report damage via the Primary Industries Natural Disaster Damage Survey.
Detail of Natural Disaster Declarations and assistance measures currently available to those in NSW Local Government Areas is available on the RAA Declared Natural Disasters page. Bellingen Shire Council has had a Natural Disaster Declaration, and are eligible for Category B assistance under the DRFA.
Category B status involves provisions for eligible applicants:
Primary producers:
Concessional loans up to $130,000
Transport subsidies up to $15,000
Small business:
Concessional loans up to $130,000
Not-for-profit organisations:
Concessional loans up to $25,000
Sporting clubs:
Concessional loans up to $10,000
Disaster Relief Loans
Natural disaster assistance low interest rate loans are available to eligible:
Transport Assistance
- A Natural Disaster Transport Subsidy is also made available to primary producers who are affected by a declared natural disaster event.
Information for Bellingen Shire Primary Producers
Reporting damages
The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Natural Disaster Damage Survey is a simple online survey that can be used to record damage to primary production and animals from natural disasters such as floods, fires and storms.
The damage survey allows you to:
- complete a simple survey of the number of crops, animals, infrastructure and other primary industries damaged in a single event
- add photos to the assessment
- see the severity of damage in your area.
The DPI can view survey information in real time and results are used to determine:
- the area the natural disaster has impacted and the scale of the event
- the severity of the impact
- the value of impact to primary production
- where and what assistance or resources may be needed.
This source of “ground truth” information helps the Government and communities understand the scale and regional distribution of the impact of a disaster on agriculture and target resources and assistance in an area.
To report damage, visit the Primary Industries Natural Disaster Damage Survey.
Primary producer Disaster Recovery Grant
Disaster recovery grants of up to $75,000 are now available to primary producers in LGAs affected by the NSW storms and floods that have occurred from 10 March 2021. Apply direct online via the Rural Assistance Authority at www.raa.nsw.gov.au/disaster-assistance/special-disaster-grants-floods
Alternatively, phone Service NSW on 13 77 88 and ask for the Primary Producer Disaster Recovery Grant administered by the Rural Assistance Authority.
Source: https://www.raa.nsw.gov.au/disaster-assistance/special-disaster-grants-floods
Insurance catastrophe declared for parts of NSW (announced 22 March 2021)
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a Catastrophe for large parts of NSW following the devastating storms and flooding of the last few days.
The ICA’s Catastrophe Declaration serves to escalate and prioritise the insurance industry’s response for affected policyholders.
Under the Catastrophe declaration:
• Claims from affected policyholders will be given priority by insurers
• Claims will be triaged to direct urgent assistance to the worst-affected property owners
• The ICA’s disaster hotline has been activated – 1800 734 621 – to assist policyholders if they are uncertain of their insurance details or have general inquiries about the claims process. (Please note: this is not a claims lodgement service.)
