People whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by the unprecedented flood crisis in NSW will benefit from a half a billion dollar support package.
Premier Dominic Perrottet, who has spent most of the week with flood-affected residents in the Northern Rivers, announced the $551 million housing support package in the town Goonellebah on Thursday.
“We’re announcing a package that will approximately support 25,000 households in relation to housing support,” he said.
The federal government is funding half the package.
The package will provide 16 weeks rent support ranging from $6000 to more than $18,000 per household.
Of the 9200 homes assessed so far, 5500 are damaged and 2834 are uninhabitable, Mr Perrottet said.
There are 1234 people living in emergency accommodation in the Northern Rivers.
“We want people out of evacuation centres,” Mr Perrottet said.
The government will also provide support for pod dwellings and mobile motor homes while people rebuilt their homes.
The government was also looking at longer and medium term housing, including airbnb.
“We believe this is the support that will help people get through,” he said.
“If there are things that we miss, obviously we will address that as soon as we can,” he said.
Mr Perrottet said $90 million would be allocated for the mammoth clean-up, saying it would take months.
After more than two weeks of devastating rain that inflicted widespread damage along the state’s coast, the sun finally emerged on Thursday.
Residents in some flood-hit areas previously subject to evacuation orders have been told they can begin returning to their homes.
But not all will be habitable, as the slow recovery pushes on, with more than 4000 tonnes of debris collected in one day alone.
The death toll in NSW rose to nine on Wednesday when police found the body of a man believed to be a delivery driver who had been missing since Tuesday.
While there is a reprieve from the rain that has battered the state, a strong wind warning is current along the coast from Byron Bay to Eden.
The Bureau of Meteorology said significant flooding will continue in a number of communities along the Hawkesbury and Nepean River catchment for at least another 24 hours.
State Emergency Services Commissioner Carlene York says preparations are under way to transition to the recovery phase of the operation.
The unprecedented flooding crisis involved more than 1600 SES volunteers on the ground at the peak of the event.
There are still 38 evacuation orders affecting 9000 people as well as 24 evacuation warnings affecting 20,000 across most of the coast.
“Regretfully the rains have started to come from Queensland and western NSW is now going back into flood,” Ms York told ABC radio on Thursday.
The Hawkesbury Nepean Valley remains of concern after river levels at Windsor peaked on Wednesday morning with flood levels hitting 13.8 metres – nearly one metre above those experienced a year ago and the highest since 1978.
River levels at North Richmond and Windsor are expected to remain above major levels for the remainder of the week, meaning locals will be unable to return home to start the clean-up until at least the weekend.
The Hunter remains badly affected with major flooding at Singleton and a number of areas cut off by floodwaters, with the SES still dropping supplies to communities.
The South Coast is also of concern, with thunderstorms forecast on Thursday, after flooding caused landslides around Kiama.
In the Northern Rivers region, the focus is now on cleaning up with more ADF personnel arriving.
“There is a long journey ahead,” Mr Perrottet said.
“But from the government’s perspective, we will be with you side by side, day after day, week after week, month after month as we move through this difficult time.
“This has been a freak event that has caused so much heartache, so much pain and anguish for many, many people. But I know we’ll get through.”
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese will head to northern NSW on Thursday.
© AAP 2022
