Government Support for Disaster areas

[Arthur Dyason]

You may have noticed the reports from Coffs Harbour and Bellingen.

Twice in six weeks we have been made a disaster area.

Six weeks ago we had 496mm in 14hrs and up river they had 650mm. A lot of farmers and local small holdings lost stock, fences and internal bridges. Just when everything is getting back to normal and wam 750mm in 18hrs (over a meter for the week) upriver over 800mm. Add this damage to the wind damage and we have been without power for a week and wont have phones on for 8 to 12 weeks. No poles to hang the wires from. Mobil phones only for a while.

The local roads where opened by the local residents. Trees every 50m or so. During 3 days of clearing the roads before the bridges could be opened we only came across one council worker and he was taking pictures of the damage.

I have to give Telstra and County Energy their dues as they all worked extended hours in some really bad weather to get us all back up and running.

However, NSW Government assistance for farmers and small business is restricted to a low interest mortgage to a max $130,000. If like most small business you are already up to the neck in mortgage you can forget it. No help paying employees who cannot come to work because of the broken bridges and flooding. No help even when those emplyees can get to work and you have no power to work with.

Those on casual hourly pay work NIL hours for the week so get NIL pay. NO help for them either.

NO help for farmers who have lost stock. We lost most of our rare breed chickens. A farmer up the road lost 70 head and his prize bull. No Help.

We pulled a bobcat out of the mud for a local so the insurance assessor could look at the damage and the owner was told NO payout as he should not have left it there during bad weather (something to do with do care of your equipment). As usual the government leaves it to the insurance companies and the insurance companies will do anything they can to squirm out of paying. NO HELP AGAIN.

All this and the PM is telling everyone we are again a Disaster area (twice in 6 weeks) and that the government will be helping but speak with the agencies who payout and find the real truth. NO HELP.

Some of the small land holders have sent $1000's getting their road access back replacing washed away bridges and driveways just to have it happen again. Fences replaced 6 weeks ago are again no longer there. Animal feed stores gone but you can get a rebate on the freight cost of your replacement load. NOTHING to help with the cost of the replacement and if you have grown it yourself for winter feed there is no time for another crop before winter so NO help paying for extra feed requirements.

Found out that while we the residents where clearing the roads and bridges while the council had officially declared the road close all insurance was made void. Another reason for the insurance companies NOT TO PAY a claim.

And the Federal Government has been noticed by its TOTAL lack of doing anything.

sorry for the rant

[bsrlee]

Tell your mate with the bobcat to make other enquiries. There is an insurance appeals organisation he can go to, according to a friend who is a claims manager for one of the big campanies, the insurance bean counters don't like being taken there as the tribunal usually finds for the victim not the insurer.

I can't think of what its called at the moment, usually its only dodgy insurance companies that get taken there.

Other than that, try to get a group to approach some of the 'shock & horror' TV shows about what a sh%t job the local & Federal governments are doing. If it had happened in Victoria the 'Old Boys' network would have seen plenty of money being splashed out.

[dazzler]

Hi Arthur

I grew up on the mid north coast and floods, particularly around bellingen, the nambucca and macleay were a way of life. We used to lose our entire years crop of bananas to storms every 3 or 4 years and at least once a year couldnt go to school because of floods.

I think we rush to blame the govt and expect bailouts for lots of things in this country. Take the farmers that have lost stock - its raining above bellingen - hello - time to move your stock to higher ground. Build fences where it floods, part of farming in the area sadly and you can expect to lose them every few years. Park a bobcat in a flood area, mmmmmmm.

I am really over the "once in a hundred year flood/drought/fire" that the media goes on about. We are the "land of droughts and flooding rains". The mid north coast has had floods as big for as long as the records go and there is nothing strange or unexpected about them. They are flood plains after all.

We seem to have lost our ability in this country to take responsibility for ourselves, be it floods or fire. We have the luxury of taking out home insurance, business insurance and farm insurance to cover these things. If we cant get it then we need to balance the risk and accept what comes our way.

Sorry if that sounds harsh. Communities grow strong through dealing with things like this themselves, by learning from the experience and not making the same mistakes in the future.

cheers

dazzler

[Arthur Dyason]

Dazzler

Normally I would agree with you its a way of life.

However this time the area has been deemed a disaster area twice in 6 weeks with the last measured rainfall nearly twice what has been recorded in our area during the past 150 years.

The cattle where washed off a hill which has never been under water. The farmer did his best as we had weather warning but the insurance companies wont cover him and theres no help from the government. Most of us around here have just spent $1,000's rebuilding our driveways and bridges for access to the roads when WAM it happens again.

If the government is serious about supporting rural areas, the jobs and economy then a little help is needed for those small farmers who produce a very high portion of the goods that are sold in the urban centres. Or would you all be happy just importing all our good from the USA?

If an industrial area in the middle of Sydney was hit like this with a possible 80% of the work force nolonger able to work just stand back and see how much support they would get

FULL of DOUBLE STANDARDS.

Those on hourly rates like our bus drivers for the school bus. Zero hours worked = NO PAY, NO mortgage payment, NO food and worst of all NO BEER.

Not too bad if the flood is only a few days but on the scale we had here the council have closed the roads until they have finished clearing the trees and MUD. Two weeks on and our roads are still closed even though we can drive to town with 4WD. Problem is we are NOT insured so if we have an accident on the way to work its OUR LOSS because the roads are still officially CLOSED. As a result we are also liable for any damage done as well as RTA fines and possible loss of our driving privilages.

And both the state and federal governments do practically NOTHING!!!

Simply by changing some of the rules and regulations we are required to abide by would releave a lot of the pressure and im sure there are many other things which could be done which would be worth doing.

[Lignin]

Arthur,
Sorry for your predicament, and I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments.
The rest of NSW is largely oblivious, but the radio and TV can't wait to tell us that Sydney has had another (brief) blackout.Until recently, we had blackouts that lasted up to 24 hrs, and any time there was a lightening flash anywhere between Darwion and Hobart, our Internet fried.
We have some of the worst roads in the state, and our council is broke!!The Government couldn't give a stuff.
As we all know, N.S.W stands for Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong. God help you if you live outside those cities.

[Pheonix]

Sorry fellas, the RTA is busy spending 23 Million$ to relocate itself in the prime offfice spot in North Sydney rent 10 mill$ a year,all new furniture, $800k on chairs alone,$240k on special carpet,++++ .so now you know where your rego money goes,not on our roads