THOSE punished by the Christmas Eve tornado will be eligible for emergency grants of up to $180 per person and $900 for a family of five or more.
Funding was announced today and will help thunderstorm-struck households in the following suburbs:
- Cedar Creek,
- Cedar Grove,
- Cedar Vale,
- Flagstone,
- Glenlogan,
- Jimboomba,
- Kairabah,
- Mundoolun,
- Riverbend,
- Tamborine,
- Veresdale,
- Veresdale Scrub,
- Woodhill and
- Yarrabilba.
Funding comes from a joint state and federal government fund and residents can check eligibility at www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/disasters
Logan City Council is appealing to the Queensland government to extend the list of suburbs, recognising others were also hit by the winds of more than 200km/hr.
Council did however, welcome the funding.
A federal government statement said a range of other support measures are also available to eligible individuals to help make their home safe to live in, replace household contents, and reconnect essential services like electricity, water and sewerage.
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority will continue monitoring local recovery efforts and stands ready to activate further DRFA support where required, the statement said.
Federal minister for emergency management Murray Watt said the impact of storms was still being assessed.
“The Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme has been activated for locations that are hardest hit. I’d encourage everyone to see what’s available, including financial support to get power reconnected, repairs for uninsured homes and help to restock spoiled fridges and freezers,” he said.
Minister responsible for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Nikki Boyd said all three levels of government were working closely together.
“If you live in an eligible area and were affected by the storms I urge you to call the Queensland Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349 to access financial support,” Ms Boyd said.
As of 2.15pm Thursday, 6029 customers remained without power across the city.
Energex has today released a restoration plan for all impacted homes and businesses.
It has committed to restoring supply to 80% of all storm impacted customers by Saturday evening and all customers will have access to a combination of generation and network supply by Sunday (New Year’s Eve).
Additional key information for community includes:
- Council’s Disaster Dashboard is regularly updated at disaster.logan.qld.gov.au
- Road debris and road closures can be reported to council on 3412 3412. All non-urgent requests can be reported at logan.qld.gov.au
- With temperatures expected to reach 37 degrees tomorrow, council is urging residents to follow Queensland Health advice
- Council has made the Mount Warren Sports and Fitness Centre and the Metro Sports and Event Centre available for residents who remain without power. The centres will be open until 9pm Thursday and from 7am to 9pm Friday, with the community able to access facilities including electricity and showers.
- Council’s waste contractor Cleanaway has advised some bins may not be collected as scheduled due to storm damage blocking access to some streets. If safe to do so, please leave your bin kerbside and it will be collected as soon as possible
- To assist with the clean-up, residents can dispose of storm related waste at Council’s transfer stations at no cost. The Browns Plains transfer station is the preferred location and loads greater than two cubic metres must be taken there. There are currently significant queues at Council’s waste facilities and residents should only attend today if absolutely necessary.
Photo: Jimboomba’s Nathan Lencz has offered his 12-tonne telehandler free of charge to help clear debris. It has a 4-tonne lifting capacity. It is one of the many good deeds being done in the community to help out.
