More than $6.1 million in personal hardship assistance grants have been approved for Redland City, benefiting more than 33,000 residents impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Mayor and Local Disaster Management Group chair Jos Mitchell said this was a fabulous result for local residents.
“The whole of Redland City felt the impacts of the cyclone, with more than 41,000 households without power, including more than 9000 in isolated island communities,” the Mayor said.
“For some residents, the power was off for more than one week.
“The Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme is triggered when large areas of residential properties are impacted and left without power or clean water.
“Given the scale of the impacts, the Queensland Government activated the Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme for Redland City on 8 March.
“This meant Redlands Coast residents who suffered personal hardship and distress from the cyclone could access financial support to help with their clean up and recovery.
“More than 37,500 applications for personal hardship assistance grants were received in Redland City up to 19 March, and it’s very pleasing that the majority have been approved.”
Deputy Mayor and Local Disaster Recovery Group chair Julie Talty said Council also worked with the Queensland Government Community Recovery Branch to establish six Community Recovery Hubs across Redland City, with the first opening on 10 March.
“More than 2200 visitors have accessed assistance at one of the Community Recovery Hubs across the region,” Cr Talty said.
“These hubs are a one-stop-shop for people to access a range of supports and services from the Queensland Government, as well as other government and non-government agencies.”
There are currently several Community Recovery Hubs open across the Redlands Coast. Current information on opening times and locations is available at disaster.redland.qld.gov.au
For information on support and financial assistance available to anyone impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, including Personal Hardship Financial Assistance, visit Redland City Council’s website at redland.qld.gov.au/recovery
