DISASTER DECLARATION FOR COFFS HARBOUR HAIL EVENT

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

A range of practical assistance measures are now available through DRFA to help families, individuals, primary producers, small businesses and charities to get back on their feet and to support Coffs Harbour City Council to repair and restore important public assets.

The assistance being announced today will help cover the costs associated with the operational response and repairing damaged essential public assets. Additionally, individuals will receive support to get back on their feet, including grants to replace essential household contents or repair structural damage to homes.

Assistance available under the DRFA may include:

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

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, and

Grants to eligible non-profit organisations.

The websites may not be updated yet – please check back later in the day.

For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88. To apply for a concessional loan or grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au

Again, a huge thank you to all our emergency services personnel and volunteers for all the work they are doing to help clean up and assess the damages.

Thanks Pat Conaghan MP for helping to push this through with your federal colleagues.

William Bayldon, and Bishop Druitt College are still non-operational today. All students will be learning from home.

Toormina High School is open today.