Bushfire Recovery Shoalhaven

Volunteer efforts, coordinated by BlazeAid, to help the Shoalhaven recover and rebuild following the January bushfires are being acknowledged by Council.

Volunteer-based organisation BlazeAid worked with rural property owners across the Shoalhaven since January to rebuild fences that were damaged or destroyed by fire and flood.

Volunteers' efforts have also helped to lift the spirits of people who have endured a difficult year following devastating losses through bushfires and more recently one or two flood events.

Operations have been based from two main camps in the Shoalhaven, with both camps delivering impressive results, with updated figures presented to Shoalhaven City Council’s Strategy and Assets meeting this month.

In summary, volunteers based at Milton Showground Camp have refenced 34.36km and cleared 37km of fencing. Of the 190 farms registered, 13 farms were categorised as “urgent”, 44 farms have had all tasks completed and work on three farms is currently active

Volunteers based at Kangaroo Valley Satellite Camp have refenced 35.47 km and cleared 30.15 km of fencing. Of the 63 farms registered, 50 farms are in process, 38 farms have had all tasks completed and work on eight farms is to be completed.

BlazeAid volunteers work in disaster-affected areas for months, not only helping individuals and families, but also helping rebuild the local communities.

If you would like to volunteer take a look at the BlazeAid webpage.

View the Shoalhaven City Council Blaze Aid Report.

To support communities with the recovery efforts from the 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires, we seek applications from eligible charitable organisations for funding of programs from bushfire affected communities across Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

Grant applications need to focus on the short-term recovery of communities that were impacted by the Black Summer Bushfires in 2019/2020 and will need to be one off, community led projects delivered by organisations within the next 6-12 months.

Funding will support the resilience, rebuilding and strengthening of the social fabric within communities, with priority given to community-led activities that promote one or all of the following:

• People: Supporting individual recovery and resilience building
• Social: Supporting community connectedness and recovery of organisations
• Economic: Supporting community initiatives that assist the economic restoration of communities
• Environmental: Supporting the conservation and re-establishment of the natural environment.

The grant program opens on 16 November 2020 and closes on 11 December 2020.

Get in touch
Phone: 1300 304 541
Email: Foundation.Mailbox@bendigoadelaide.com.au

For more information, including how to apply, visit communityenterprisefoundation.com.au.

If you have already received a Red Cross grant you may also be eligible for the new additional support grant if you are still facing financial hardship.

The first round of the Additional Support Grants is open for applications until 27 November. Payments for the first round will be made by mid-December 2020. The contribution available for each person is dependent on the number of people who apply, as there are limited funds available.

The grant is open to people who have lost a primary place of residence (including a caravan or mobile home), or are the owner-occupier of a home that was structurally damaged, or have been hospitalised for injuries sustained in the bushfires.

The amount paid through this grant is not fixed and it depends on how you were impacted by the bushfires and what previous grant you received but it may contribute towards costs related to the bushfires, like:

• additional rebuilding or re-establishment costs
• further repairs to make homes safe to live in
• clearing of bushfire impacted, unsafe trees on your property
• basic necessities (like utility bills, food or schooling)
• ongoing out-of-pocket medical expenses
• other costs related to individual circumstances due to the bushfires

There will be a second round of additional support grants available in February 2021, for people who were unable to apply in November. However, as funds are limited it is uncertain how much will be available in the February round.

Previous Red Cross grant recipients can apply online via this link to the Red Cross website.

Come along to an information session and hear from presenters across a range of topics, to assist our community in recovery and resilience.

The following Community Resilience Community Sessions are coordinated by Service NSW.

Locations

Where: Kangaroo Valley
RFS, 5 Broughton St, Kangaroo Valley
When: 20 October 2020

Where: Wandandian
RFS, Princes Hwy, Wandandian
When: 27 October 2020

Where: West Nowra - RFS
92 Albatross Rd, Nowra
When: 3 November 2020

Where: Cambewarra Village
57 Main Road, Cambewarra
When: 10 November 2020

Where: Sussex Inlet
Bendigo Bank community rooms,
4/168 Jacobs Drive, Sussex Inlet
When: 17 November 2020

Bookings are not required and COVID-19 safety measures will be in place.

Session Agenda

10:00am-11:00am Fire Preparedness/Recovery - Red Cross

11:30am-12:30pm Early Childhood/Youth Support – Bushfire Response - Be You Early Childhood Australia

1:00pm-2:00pm Land Management - Local Land Services

2:30pm-3:30pm Mind, Body, Spirit - Catholic Care

4:00pm-5:00pm Financial Management - Womens Health Service

5:30pm-6:30pm Building/Compliance - Shoalhaven City Council

For further information please contact Natalie Galea, Service NSW 0448 556 429 or Natalie.Galea@service.nsw.gov.au.

The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) is a not-for-profit organisation that harnesses the power of collective investment between government, business, and philanthropy, to improve the lives of those living in rural, regional and remote Australia.

Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Round 7 has $490,000 available through the Small & Vital Stream and a further $650,000 available in the Bushfire Recovery Stream.

Grants are available for the:

Small and Vital Stream – up to $10,000:

• communities with less than 15,000 people
• communities outside major cities
• projects initiated and delivered by local community groups and not-for-profits
• organisations that do not have DGR status.

Bushfire Recovery Stream – up to $25,000

• projects supporting the recovery communities affected by the Sept 2019-Feb 2020 bushfires
• projects initiated and delivered by local community groups
• organisations that do not have DGR status.

Eligible activities include a broad range of charitable projects including:

• delivering, or providing activities, events, programs and services
• purchasing or hiring equipment and materials
• community infrastructure projects
• organisational capacity building
• community resource development.

Ineligible activities include:

• projects that support core business and areas of responsibility of Federal, State and Local Governments
• ongoing core organisational operational costs (e.g. rent, utilities, regular wages, loan repayments)
• overseas travel and overseas projects
• prizes, gifts, trophies or awards
• political lobbying
• projects that primarily benefit private business or private interests
• projects solely focused on animal welfare.

The encouragement or advancement of sport, recreation and social activities are not considered charitable activities under Australian law. Applications from sporting organisations need to clearly demonstrate charitable outcomes and benefit to the wider community that are above and beyond the sporting activities of the club.

Applications close at 5pm on Tuesday 24 November 2020.

For more information, including how to apply, visit the FRRR website.

A range of service providers will be available to provide bushfire recovery information and advice for you and your community in the following locations.

Where: Kioloa
Kioloa RFS
When: Thursday 8 October
Time: 3pm to 6pm

Where: Bendalong
Manyana RFS
When: Thursday 15 October
Time: 2pm to 5pm

Where: Tabourie
Tabourie RFS
When: Thursday 22 October
Time: 12pm to 3pm

Where: Depot Beach
Depot Beach RFS
When: Tuesday 27 October
Time: 12pm to 3pm

Where: Morton
Cnr of Ridge Road and Woolburn Road
Covered bus stop area
When: Thursday 29 October
Time: 2pm to 4pm

There will be a free sausage sizzle at some locations with COVID-19 safe measures in place.

For more information please contact the Bushfire Hotline on 4429 5888.

Service NSW Bringing Services to your Community

Service NSW are visiting bushfire-affected communities, helping people replace lost or damaged documents free of charge.

Where: St Georges Basin

The Country Club, Links Avenue Sanctuary Point

When: Thursday, 8 October 2020

Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm

Where: Sussex Inlet

Neighbourhood Information Centre

Corner Jacobs Drive & Neilson Street, Sussex Inlet

When: Friday, 9 October 2020
Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm

Service NSW’s Mobile Service Centres offer similar services to their physical sites including:

• Driver licence, photo card applications and renewals
• Driver Knowledge Tests
• Working With Children Check applications
• Applying for birth, death and marriage certificates
• Cost of Living service to access more than 70 government rebates and savings.

They can also help you access a range of government support services and initiatives.

Those requiring emergency assistance such as food, water or shelter should contact the Disaster Welfare Assistance Line on 1800 018 444.

For more information on the services available visit Bushfire customer care service.

For more information on the Mobile Service Centres, including what documents you need to take with you, visit service.nsw.gov.au/msc.

Stage two of the Vinnies Bushfire Community Recovery Grants program is now open and offers grants of up to $20,000.

The grants are available for community agencies, associations, sporting and religious groups that assist people in bushfire-affected areas.

For more information and to help you promote the grants, various products have been developed, including a poster and the application form.

• ‘Bushfire Community Grants A4 Poster’ and ‘Bushfire Community Grants DLFlyer’ advertise the program and provide a web address where prospective applicants can obtain further information, documentation and Vinnies contacts;
• ‘Application Form’ is the form applicants must complete in order to be considered for a grant and submitted to communitygrants@vinnies.org.au
• ‘Grant Program Workflow MAVS’ sets out the procedure for applying and assessing applications;
• ‘Terms and Conditions’ explains the eligibility criteria and what the grant money must be used for; and
• ‘Timeline’ sets out the timeframe for Stage 2 applications.

Applications close on Sunday 11 October 2020.

Please contact Philip Riordan, Member and Community Engagement Coordinator (South Region) for more information on Philip.Riordan@vinnies.org.au or (02) 4627 9299.

Applications are now open for local organisations and community groups to support people in Southern NSW and the Shoalhaven to recover from the effects of the 2019-20 summer bushfires.

Funding of up to $10,000 is available for not-for-profits and community groups.

Applications close on 5 October 2020.

To apply for a South Eastern NSW PHN natural disaster community grant, go to: www.communitygrants.info where you can find more information on eligibility and grant guidelines, and complete an application form.

For information on bushfire recovery grants contact: Jennie Roe on 02 4474 8424 or email communitygrants@coordinare.org.au

Shoalhaven City Council together with Shoalhaven Rural Fire Service are encouraging families, friends and neighbours to use the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Get Ready Weekend on 19-20 September 2020 to prepare for bushfire season and start a broader conversation about being aware of and prepared for all hazards.

To support early planning and preparation, NSW RFS will once again host their annual Get Ready Weekend on 19-20 September, in person and online.

Get Ready now, by following the five simple steps:

1. Know your risk - think about the area you’re in and the types of disasters that could affect you;
2. Plan now for what you will do - sit down and talk with your family and plan for what you will do if a disaster affects your area;
3. Get your home ready - prepare your home by doing general home maintenance and checking your insurance coverage;
4. Be aware - find out how to prepare, what to do if there is a disaster in your area and connect with NSW emergency services to stay informed;
5. Look out for each other - share information with your family, friends, neighbours and those who may need assistance.

Emergency service organisations do an amazing job, but they can only do so much. Being prepared is everyone’s responsibility.

For more information visit the Get Ready resource web page.