Disaster Assistance Extended Following Severe Weather And Flooding In NSW

Disaster assistance is now available in Hilltops and Yass Valley local government areas (LGAs) following severe storms and flooding from Tuesday 9 November 2021, which continues to impact areas of New South Wales.

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

New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said households, small businesses and primary producers, who had been impacted by the severe storms and flooding, can contact Service NSW to discuss available assistance.

“Primary producers, including cherry growers, have been particularly hard hit in the Hilltops LGA with assessments showing that $1.2 million of damage has been sustained over 1,084 hectares,” Ms Cooke said.

“Assistance is now available to people who have had damage to their homes, and to small businesses and non-profit organisations in the form of concessional interest rate loans.”

“This assistance is in addition to $50,000 primary producer grants the NSW and Federal Governments have previously announced to support storm and flood affected farmers.”

Assistance available under the DRFA may include:

• Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply)

• Recovery grants for primary producers

• 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

• Freight subsidies for primary producers For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.

To apply for a concessional loan or primary producer grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au.

Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au.

• Topics:

• Natural Disasters