Kempsey families are the first to receive bushfire relief accommodation pods following the horrific bushfires which destroyed millions of hectares of land and resulted in the loss of life and property on the Mid North Coast.
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Lobbying by locally-affected families and sustained advocacy by Kempsey Shire Council has resulted in six accommodation pods rolled out to bushfire-affected communities in NSW.
There will be 100 temporary accommodation pods allocated across the state as a result of a partnership between the NSW government and Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Minderoo Foundation.
The 7.2mx2.4m units are fully self-contained and allow people to stay on their land while they rebuild.
They come equipped with a 2,300 litre water tank and can operate on the included generator or use mains connection. Internally they have a toilet, shower and small open kitchen with a two-burner stove.
The first residents at Kempsey had their pod installed on Friday.
"This is a huge step forward for some of those in our community who were hardest hit by the bushfires," Kempsey Shire mayor Liz Campbell said.
"These pods are a great resource for those people who have rural properties, who need to care for livestock. Some of those have been living with neighbours, some have been travelling long distances each day to work their properties.
"Now they can stay on their land, they can be with their animals, they can be on their farm and they can rebuild."
The Richardson family in Hickey's Creek have spent five months living with their neighbours since a bushfire destroyed their home.
"It's got everything we are going to need, we can actually move home," Louise Richardson said.
The pods will be provided for up to two years and will then be returned to the government to be used in future emergencies.
In the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area and NSW RFS Mid Coast District, 150 homes, nine facilities and 303 outbuildings were destroyed in the recent bushfires.
Thanks to the efforts of firefighters, 2325 homes, facilities and outbuildings in the path of fires were saved.
There were 26 emergency warnings issued to communities across the Mid North Coast at the height of the firefront.
Three lives on the Mid North Coast were lost.
According to the NSW RFS, there were 58 fires over five hectares in size. These fires burned a total of 420,000 hectares of bushland, which represents over 30 per cent of the total local government area.
More than 22,000 residents and businesses in Cowper have now been assisted by the Federal government since November last year.
Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan welcomed the assistance totalling about $39 million and said residents can now make a submission to the Bushfires Royal Commission.
"While two to three months have passed since the bushfires went out, I know our community still has a long road ahead to recover from this," Mr Conaghan said.
"Impacts on some businesses have now been exacerbated as well due to the coronavirus pandemic and it saddens me to see some sole traders, industries and employees really struggling.
"Our support for 22,204 residents, more than 130 farmers and hundreds of businesses has helped our community start to recover from the bushfires and I encourage anyone who wants to share their opinion on the natural disaster arrangements and response that occurred this summer to do so by April 28."
Federal government assistance provided to the fire-impacted Port Macquarie-Hastings region to date includes $11.6 million for 10,414 disaster recovery claims; $1.9 million for 34 primary producer recovery grants and $1.4 million in recovery assistance to council.
Residents and businesses severely impacted by bushfire and have not as yet applied for assistance can still do so by clicking here or calling 180 22 66.
To apply for a primary producer's recovery grant visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au or call 1800 678 593.
To apply for a business recovery grant visit www.service.nsw.gov.au or call 13 77 88.
The Royal Commission into National Disaster Arrangements has commenced and is being led by Commission Chair Mark Binskin.
Meanwhile, Port Macquarie-Hastings contractors are invited to tender for Mid North Coast bushfire clean up projects.
The NSW Government has appointed Laing O'Rourke to coordinate the clean-up of bushfire-impacted properties across the state.
In delivering these works, the company is committed to supporting communities, businesses and jobs by engaging local subcontractors.
The clean-up of bushfire-impacted properties may include:
- Removal of known hazardous materials, including asbestos;
- Removal of materials destroyed by bush fire and hazardous trees; and
- With consent of building owners, removal of concrete slab foundations.
For more information about the project package and how to apply click here.