21/05/2025
🌧️ NATURAL DISASTER DECLARED
- PARTS OF EASTERN
The state and federal Governments have activated disaster assistance to communities in 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the Hunter and Mid North Coast following severe weather, including heavy rainfall.
The NSW Government’s Natural Disaster Declaration applies to the LGAs of: Bellingen, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Dungog, Kempsey, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, MidCoast, Nambucca, Newcastle, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter.
Assistance measures that may be provided to communities include:
✅ Assistance for eligible residents to help meet immediate needs like emergency accommodation and essential items generally provided from evacuation or recovery centres.
✅ Grants for low-income, uninsured residents to replace lost essential household items to maintain basic standard of living.
✅ Grants for low-income, uninsured residents to undertake essential structural repairs to restore their homes to a basic, safe and habitable condition.
✅ Support for affected 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 grants to sporting and recreation clubs to repair or replace damaged or destroyed property.
✅ Freight subsidies for primary producers to help transport livestock and fodder.
✅ Financial support towards counter disaster activity undertaken by emergency service organisations to keep communities safe.
More information on disaster assistance can be found at
https://www.nsw.gov.au/emergency/recovery and www.disasterassist.gov.au
