Flood

...$12.7 million of taxpayers’ money was spent operating the Howard Springs Accommodation Village for two months to cater for flood evacuees last year. The total bill for cleaning and repairs was $1.3 million for the two-month period in March and April last year. This included $469,000 replacing windows, $277,000 for handyman services, $174,000 on plumbing, and $89,000 on mattresses.

Community views are being sought for the Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan. Central Darling Shire Council has engaged consultants to undertake the Central Darling Shire Flood Risk Management Study and Plan which will focus on the townships of Wilcannia, Menindee, Ivanhoe, Tilpa and Sunset Strip.

Federal MP Kevin Hogan is disappointed the inquiry into how insurers dealt with flood claims has resulted in more red tape. The Federal Government has released its final report and recommendations for the inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major flood claims.

Madison Eastmond. Calperum Station’s Flood Recovery program is boosting local employment and changing the lives of many Riverlanders in the process ... the four-month voluntary program at Calperum Station has expanded to a comprehensive skills and confidence-building initiative for local jobseekers, restoring habitat and community in the towns of Renmark and Berri, and producing two rounds of successful graduates since its inception.

Peter Walsh MP. All roads led to Barmah at the weekend as hundreds of people scrambled for access to hundreds of tonnes of flood-damaged fallen trees rescued for use as firewood. Coming out of the Barmah Forest, the wood was originally pushed into 70 large piles and was going to be burnt by Parks Victoria staff.

For two years, people have been living free of charge in temporary housing villages known as pods. The 11 housing pod villages including ones at Coraki and Evans Head were set up after the 2022 flood disaster in response to the housing crisis.

From major flooding and storm response to countless emergency calls and bushfire support, the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Broken Hill Unit is celebrating 40 years of saving lives and creating safer communities. Formed in 1984, the NSW SES Broken Hill Unit has a proud history of protecting the people of Far West NSW during floods, storms, and other emergencies.

During floods and fires not being able to communicate is scary and dangerous ... A new fleet of technology from the State Government will help communities be more prepared for disasters and better able to respond to bushfires, floods and other severe weather events.

Antoinette O’Brien. On Wednesday 21st August the community in North Lismore and beyond was hit with another wave of destruction and devastation as the house at 13 Wotherspoon Street was demolished without notification ... Luke had been given 12 months to organise the relocation of his beloved home and was looking at land in Tenterfield.

Construction of a flood protection levee along Gunbower Parade at Koondrook will occur after Gannawarra Shire Council successfully received Federal Government funding. The National Emergency Management Agency announced in late August that the Federal Government would invest $851,774 in the project, which is the first in a series of planned stages to construct a levee network to mitigate the risk of riverine flooding in the Koondrook township.

A program designed to reduce the risk and impact of flood events across towns in inland NSW has been extended thanks to a $3 million Australian Government grant ... NSW DCCEEW has identified 14 Local Government Areas across inland NSW where flood works pose known risks, and have received strong support for the program.

The former flood damaged Broadwater Public School is gone – demolished and only bare ground remains where playgrounds and classrooms once stood. Today, Monday, August 26, students, teachers and parents mark the start of construction on the rebuild of their village school more than two and a half years since the 2022 flood disaster.

Community engagement efforts in the Buloke Shire have highlighted the significant role online gaming plays in the lives of our residents, particularly among young people. Gaming is more than a pastime – it’s vital for community cohesion and recovery, as shown by the successful Level Up event at Sea Lake Neighbourhood House on Monday, with over 40 attendees, and another event set for Wycheproof on Sunday.

New data released by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) today shows that the impact of extreme weather on the Australian economy has more than tripled over the last three decades. Insured losses from declared insurance catastrophes have grown from 0.2 of GDP from 1995 to 2000 to 0.7 per cent for the last five years ... The new data analysis is contained in the Insurance Council of Australia’s Insurance Catastrophe Resilience Report 2023-24, released today.

Tonnes of flood-damaged firewood in Barmah Forest will now be made available to locals instead of being burnt by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). The wood has been pushed into 70 large piles throughout the forest and a DEECA spokesperson says “the flood-affected wood is being assessed and will be used for habitat and environmental projects within the park.

At a Community Meeting in Carisbrook ... the findings and recommendations of the Carisbrook Levee Independent Review were shared with residents ... The report has found that overall, there is confidence in the catchment modelling to which the Levee has been built.

John Williams. Nhill was headline news in 1974 as the town was flooded after 6 inches of rain, but business continued to keep its head above water, and new ventures such as Lowan Whole Foods, which had just begun operations, were even established. At the Nhill Hospital, Jason McCartney, AFL football star and Bali bomb survivor had taken his first breath ...

Gannawarra Shire Council has welcomed the tabling of the Victorian Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee’s Final Report for the Inquiry into the 2022 Flood Event in Victoria, and will advocate for various key recommendations to be actioned.

Landslips, roads, bridges and a new clubhouse have had tenders announced by Richmond Valley Council so work can begin. Most of the projects are funded under Transport for NSW’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, except the Tatham bridges, which are being funded through the Australian Government’s Emergency Response Fund Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program 2022-2023.

John O’Donnell identifies numerous instances of what he sees as poor and inadequate governance at local, state and federal level, many of them being cross sector issues, highlighting the importance of working more effectivly together to address them. John goes on to identify possible ways to influence better outcomes.  

The Sunshine Coast will soon be home to an Australia-first blue carbon project creating a thriving mangrove ecosystem, a healthier Maroochy River for everyone to enjoy and the potential for future income streams for landholders. The Australian Government’s Clean Energy Regulator has formally registered the nation’s first Blue Carbon project in the Sunshine Coast’s Blue Heart, on the lower Maroochy River floodplain, following a rigorous research and application process.

Madison Eastmond, Hugh Schuitemaker ... The Federal Government yesterday announced $25m worth of funding to support flood recovery efforts. However, Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone said the repair of damaged local infrastructure needed to be a higher priority ... "Some are unsafe, and councils are left swinging in the breeze wondering if funding will eventuate to repair the flood impacted road network."