Ignored in the original disaster assistance plan announced earlier in the week, Cumberland was one of eight new local government areas to be included in the jointly funded Commonwealth-State disaster assistance over the weekend.
Cr Steve Christou led a call at last week’s council meeting to have Cumberland “urgently” included in the assistance program.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Murray Watt, said as the damage continued to be assessed, “the NSW and Australian governments are working to quickly and efficiently to provide access to financial and other assistance”.
NSW Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke, said the scale of this flood event required significant recovery support.
“Declaring a natural disaster is an essential first step getting support out the door and in the pockets of individuals, families, farmers and business owners,” she said.
Claim flood cash
CUMBERLAND residents now have access to $1,000 per adult and $400 per child in disaster assistance to help in their recovery from last week’s torrential rainfall.