Bushfire Recovery Shoalhaven

This page aims to support our community through the recovery phase of the impacts from the recent bushfires and to prepare us for the next emergency/bushfire season.

If you have been affected, there is a range of assistance for you. Council is working in partnership with emergency services, State and Federal government agencies, charities and others to deliver this assistance.

For detailed information about the assistance available refer to the Frequently Asked Questions and Important Links on this webpage.

You can call Council's 4429 5888 helpline dedicated to bushfire recovery assistance, during business hours.

Recovery services can also be accessedContinue reading

This page aims to support our community through the recovery phase of the impacts from the recent bushfires and to prepare us for the next emergency/bushfire season.

For detailed information about the assistance available refer to the Frequently Asked Questions and Important Links on this webpage.

You can call Council's 4429 5888 helpline dedicated to bushfire recovery assistance, during business hours.

Recovery services can also be accessed through Service NSW on 13 77 88 from 7am to 7pm every day or online at www.service.nsw.gov.au for locations of Service NSW, and Mobile Service Centres. If you'd prefer, you can contact an agency directly.

Clean up: Register now
Insured and uninsured residential and eligible commercial property owners must register at www.service.nsw.gov.au or call 13 77 88 to be included in the government-supported cleanup program.

Updated 23 February 2021

News feed

Currowan & Comberton Fires 2019/2020 - Statistics Snapshot

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03 Jul 2020

Currowan & Comberton Fires - Statistics Snapshot
Bushfire Recovery Newsletter - 2 July 2020

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02 Jul 2020

The weekly Bushfire Recovery Newsletter was developed to keep the community up-to-date on the important work the Recovery Action Team are undertaking. To view the latest issue visit Bushfire Recovery Newsletter - 2 July 2020.
Previous issues can be found in the Recovery Newsletter Folder in the Document Library on this page.
NSW Government Media Release - Bushfire Clean-up

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01 Sep 2020
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1 July 2020
NSW GOVERNMENT BUSHFIRE CLEAN-UP MEETS INITIAL JUNE 30 TARGET AS REBUILD BEGINS
The bushfire clean-up program undertaken by the NSW Government has met the initial 2,800 property clearing target and today announced further support for communities through a rebuild and housing strategy.
The Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro visited Cobargo today and met with the Morrison family to view their cleared property and discuss plans to rebuild.
“As the majority of the clean-up is completed and rebuild begins, the NSW Government has committed $26 million in funding to assist some of the hardest hit families to rebuild their homes,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The Disaster Welfare Rebuild Program will rebuild the houses of up to 100 families who own their land but have no means to replace it."
The full media release is published in the Document Library on this web page.

Red Cross Financial Assistance Grants Increased

29 Jun 2020

29 June 2020

Most of Red Cross' recovery grants for people impacted by the bushfires since July 2019 have been increased.

Type of assistance

Who is eligible?

How to access it

Bereavement Grant

$50,000

(increased from $20,000)

Identified senior next-of-kin of people who have died in the fires and are experiencing financial hardship as a result.

We are in direct contact with senior next-of-kin. For more information, call 1800 733 276.

Emergency Grant

$20,000 is available per household

People whose primary place of residence has been destroyed or rendered permanently uninhabitable (i.e. has been or must be demolished) by bushfires since July 2019 and are experiencing financial hardship as a result.

Apply at redcross.org.au/grants (you will need proof of ID, proof of address and bank details*)

Primary Residence Repair Grant

Up to $10,000 per household

(increased from $5,000)

Home owners whose primary place of residence has not been destroyed but needs structural repairs (i.e. walls, ceilings, windows) or repairs to private water, septic or power infrastructure to make it safe to return home and who are experiencing financial hardship.

Apply at redcross.org.au/grants (you will need proof of ID, proof of address and bank details*)

If you are eligible for a top-up of this grant, we will contact you by SMS and email, or you can call us at 1800 733 276.

Eligibility for this grant has been extended from 12 March to include repairs to critical private water or power infrastructure (i.e. water tanks, generators) or septic systems attached to the primary place of residence.

Injury Grant

Up to $15,000 per person

(increased from $7,500)

People who were hospitalised for two or more days as the direct result of physical injuries or mental health issues caused by the fires and are experiencing financial hardship as a result.

Hospital admission needs to have occurred within two weeks of a bushfire affecting your area.

This grant has been increased to $15,000 to assist people whose out-of-pocket medical costs have exceeded or are likely to exceed $7,500.

Apply at redcross.org.au/grants (you will need proof of ID, bank details, evidence of hospital admission and discharge*)

If you are eligible for a further payment through this grant, we will contact you by SMS and email, or you can call us at 1800 733 276.

Re-establishment Grant

Increased to $40,000 per household for home owner occupiers

$10,000 per household for people who were renting a home or whose primary place of residence was a caravan or mobile home

People whose primary place of residence has been destroyed or rendered permanently uninhabitable (i.e. has been or must be demolished) by bushfires since July 2019 and who are experiencing financial hardship.

This grant helps people to find somewhere safe to live in the medium to long term. It could help with rebuilding, renting, finding interim or retirement housing, or purchasing a caravan or mobile home.

Apply at redcross.org.au/grants

(New applicants will need proof of ID, bank details, address, evidence of being the owner occupier)

If you’ve already received a Red Cross grant, we won’t ask you to provide documentation you’ve already given us.

If you are eligible for a top-up of this grant, we will contact you by SMS and email, or you can call us at 1800 733 276.

Please note: Applications for this grant will remain open until 31 August 2020.

If your documents have been damaged or lost in the fires and cannot be replaced, please phone 1800 733 276.

For more information have a look at the Frequently Asked Questions on this web page.

Bushfire Recovery Newsletter - 26 June 2020

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26 Jun 2020

The weekly Bushfire Recovery Newsletter was developed to keep the community up-to-date on the important work the Recovery Action Team are undertaking. To view the latest issue visit Bushfire Recovery Newsletter - 26 June 2020.
Previous issues can be found in the Recovery Newsletter Folder in the Document Library on this page.
Rebuilding Relief for Australia’s Primary Producers

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25 Jun 2020

25 June 2020
More support for bushfire-impacted primary producers across Australia was announced on 23 June 2020. The forestry industry, wine grape producers, and apple growers will soon benefit from $86 million in funding provided by the Australian Government.
The National Bushfire Recovery Agency is working with State Governments to open these programs as soon as possible. Further information, including details on the application process and eligibility criteria, will be made available soon.
Support for wine grape producers Wine grape producers can access up to $10,000 to support recovery efforts and rebuild resilient businesses.
To date, most assistance has been directed to fire impacted areas. But we know smoke taint damage extends beyond the fire scar. Worth $5 million, this grants program is targeted at businesses in smoke impacted wine regions which are not currently activated for the $75,000 primary producer grants.
For more information take a look at the the National Bushfire Recovery Agency's Factsheet published in the 'Document Library' on this web page.
Subscribe to the National Bushfire Recovery's Newsletter to receive further details on the application process and eligibility criteria once it is made available.

Shoalhaven City Council Clarification of Bushfire Recovery Scope of Works

24 Jun 2020

24 June 2020

Shoalhaven City Council Clarification of Bushfire Recovery Scope of Works

Shoalhaven City Council would like to address recent media statements regarding the amount of cleared properties in fire impacted areas of the Shoalhaven.

Property numbers cleaned do not provide a clear guide of bushfire recovery progress, with each property having different circumstances and recovery measures in place.

The bushfire recovery scope of works was determined by the State contractor Laing O’Rourke, on behalf of NSW Public Works.

A total of 916 bushfire affected properties registered for clean-up with Laing O'Rourke, and each of those properties were visited and assessed by the state contractor and NSW Public Works. 424 of those 916 registered were deemed to be in scope and eligible for clean-up works to be undertaken.

Council is pleased to advise that of the 424 eligible properties, 392 have now been cleaned to date, with 32 properties remaining.

Council, with assistance from Laing O’Rourke and Service NSW, contacted a further 42 property owners regarding registration for clean-up, with 10 of which unable to be contacted despite considerable measures to make contact.

Of the 32 properties contacted, Council have been advised from property owners that the property owner will either contact Service NSW and register, have made their own arrangements with their insurance company, are cleaning it themselves, or are choosing to not commence with the clean-up as yet. Council have made it clear to property owners to register for the service while it is still on offer.

In terms of waste removal from bushfire affected properties, a dedicated Bushfire Waste Recycling Centre was set up at West Nowra Waste Depot to handle the non-contaminated waste received from property cleaning. The Centre has received approximately 18,000 tonnes of non-contaminated waste, with over 93% reprocessed as recyclable material. The remaining 250 tonnes of non-contaminated waste was put into landfill. The recycling program was highly successful, and as the demand for the centre has now decreased significantly, the Centre was decommissioned last week with any further waste received to be processed at the waste depot.

Council have undertaken significant efforts to ensure all Shoalhaven fire impacted properties register with Service NSW to ensure each property owner has access to the support and resources they need to move through the recovery process.

Bushfire Recovery Newsletter - 18 June 2020

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17 Jun 2020

The weekly Bushfire Recovery Newsletter was developed to keep the community up-to-date on the important work the Recovery Action Team are undertaking. To view the latest issue visit Bushfire Recovery Newsletter - 18 June 2020.
Previous issues can be found in the Recovery Newsletter Folder in the Document Library on this page.
Parents and Care Givers Online Program

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01 Sep 2020
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Journey of Hope for Care Givers (ONLINE) is all about supporting parents and carers, children's workers and educators to cope with collective trauma, identify triggers and stressors, develop natural resilience and coping strategies, and strengthen social support networks.
Normally the program is delivered face to face, but in response to the impacts of COVID-19, it has been adapted to deliver the content online.
In this initial module practical knowledge and tools are provided to help you help the children in your lives, explore the challenges you're experiencing and real, relevant, self care.
These sessions are FREE, and specific to each fire impacted region out of respect to the unique challenges experienced in each community.
The online modules will be delivered to Shoalhaven on:
Wednesday 24 June, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Thursday 2 July, 10:00 am - 12 noon

Registering your Expression of Interest online will help to connect you with facilitators who can give you more information about Journey of Hope and can walk you through how to connect with and participate in an online session https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/johcaregiver.
For more information take a look at the Journey of Hope for Care Givers factsheet or Save the Children website.
NSW Get Ready Community Award

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12 Jun 2020

Resilience NSW is the lead disaster management agency for NSW, responsible for all aspects of disaster recovery and building community resilience to future disasters.
The NSW Get Ready Community Award recognises a community that has worked together to better prepare for, respond to or recover from a disaster.
It’s been a year of unprecedented emergencies. We’ve seen people across NSW come together to collaborate and contribute to the creation of more resilient communities. There has never been a more important time to celebrate and inspire these initiatives.
Applications are open at www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/getreadyaward until July 5.