Updates

More Far North communities activated for Tropical Cyclone Jasper hardship assistance

Queensland Government media release

Personal Hardship Assistance has been extended to disaster impacted communities in five additional Far North Queensland Local Government Areas.

The entire LGAs of Cairns, Mareeba, Tablelands and Cassowary Coast, and select localities in Cook Shire will now also be eligible for assistance.

Residents can access grants of $180 for individuals and up to $900 for a family of five or more to cover the costs of essentials like food, clothing and medicine.

The Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Scheme is also available to eligible homeowners needing to reconnect electricity, gas, water or sewerage.

Eligible localities of Cook are Shipton Flat, Rossville, Ayton, Bloomfield, Laura, Lakeland, Oaky Creek, Helenvale, Mount Amos, and defined areas of Cooktown.

The Federal and Queensland Governments have now activated the jointly-funded Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) for nine Far North councils in response to ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme:

• Emergency Hardship Assistance Grant – provides assistance as a contribution to support people directly impacted by an eligible disaster to meet their immediate essential needs for food, clothing, medical supplies or temporary accommodation.
• Essential Services Hardship Assistance – provides assistance for people directly impacted by an eligible disaster to meet their immediate needs where they have experienced the loss of one or more essential services for more than five days.
• Essential Household Contents Grant – provides a contribution towards replacing or repairing essential household contents, such as beds, linen and whitegoods that have been lost or damaged by an eligible disaster.
• Structural Assistance Grant – provides a contribution towards repairs or replacement of a dwelling damaged by an eligible disaster, to return it to a safe, habitable and secure condition.

Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Scheme:

To assist residents with the inspection and reconnection of essential services that have been damaged by an eligible disaster. The scheme provides financial assistance to individuals and families as a contribution towards safety inspections of and repairs to residential essential services (i.e. electricity, gas, water and sewerage) damaged by an eligible disaster.

Further information on disaster assistance can be found at www.disasterassist.gov.au or www.qld.gov.au/disasterhelp.

People requiring immediate assistance can contact the Queensland Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.

To learn more about DRFA support head to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority website.