A dedicated taskforce consisting of MidCoast Council, the NSW Police, Public Works Advisory, Fire and Rescue NSW, SES, EPA, the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Australian Defence Force is coordinating an immediate recovery effort across our region.
"We have all come together as part of a multi-agency recovery taskforce to deliver a planned recovery that helps our residents and business owners by efficiently and effectively removing and disposing of flood waste," said MidCoast Council Mayor, David West.
Since last Thursday substantial progress has been undertaken by the taskforce agencies, which has seen over 300 taskforce personnel and support staff working daily for the MidCoast community.
Heading up the substantial recovery effort of the last four days is the establishment of Council's waste and removal assistance hotline - 1300 545 040 and a dedicated recovery centre in the former MidCoast Council chambers in Pulteney Street Taree which will open from 9am-5pm weekdays and 10am-4pm weekends.
The centre is staffed by Council's Recovery team along with various NSW Government agencies, providing face-to-face support for MidCoast residents affected by the recent storms and floods.
Residents can visit the Centre for assistance with accommodation advice, mental health and wellbeing services, support for businesses, clean-up services, financial assistance, replacing lost documents and insurance and legal support.
Over the weekend more than 880 assessments of residential, commercial and industrial premises have been undertaken by Rapid Damage Assessment teams, with 260 dwellings declared uninhabitable as of Monday morning.
Strike Teams from Fire and Rescue NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Australian Defence Force have worked alongside residents and business owners to strip out and remove flood damaged property and damaged building materials from many of these premises to the kerbside. The localities visited by Strike Teams include Gloucester, Bulahdelah, Taree CBD, Taree Estate, Taree Browns Creek area, Glenthorne, Manning Point, Croki, Oxley and Mitchells Island, Wingham Town, Wingham Peninsula and Cundletown.
Strike Teams from Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW Rural Fire Service also assisted residents and owners in washing mud and other debris from premises.
Council, with assistance from Public Works Advisory, has engaged a fleet of over 50 private trucks and other plant on a daily basis to remove waste from the kerbsides. To facilitate effective and efficient removal of Manning area waste, a temporary waste transfer site has been set up at Urara Lane, Taree with waste then transferred by semi-trailer.
"Over the first four days of clean-up we have collected more than 16,000 tonnes of waste from homes, businesses and streets – this is about two-thirds of our annual red bin collection across the MidCoast," Mayor West said.
For all flood recovery updates, keep an eye on Council's flood recovery hub at www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au
