With hundreds of people currently homeless and thousands who have lost their possessions, including the items that they need day-to-day, Resilience NSW has announced they will open a dedicated Flood Recovery Centre in Mullumbimby today at the Mullum Civic Hall.
Moving from the response phase of the floods to the recovery phase means that yesterday the last evacuation centre for the Byron Shire at the Ocean Shores Country closed.
Recovery is led by Resilience NSW, a new government agency created after the 2019/2020 bushfires, which is focused on disaster preparedness and recovery approach. Resilience NSW is led by Shane Fitzimmons who up until his appointment as the Commissioner of Resilience NSW, was the New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner.
Emergency evacuation orders lifted
Resilience NSW is opening up recovery centres in areas where emergency evacuation orders have been lifted, including in Mullumbimby
Recovery centres are staffed by people who help flood-impacted residents find support, financial assistance and information available.
Byron Shire Mayor, Michael Lyon, said the establishment of the NSW Government’s Flood Recovery Centre is good news for residents and businesses. ‘But we first need to acknowledge the tremendous work of the Resilient Byron network. I would like to thank Resilient Byron for the incredible work they have done, and are continuing to do, for our community.’
The recovery phase
Cr Lyon said the formation of this Flood Recovery Centre means we are moving into the next stage which is the recovery phase.
The Flood Recovery Centre will provide face-to-face support for Byron Shire residents, including information on:
- Clean-up services
- Financial help
- Insurance and legal support
- Business support
- Mental health and well-being support.The Flood Recovery Centre at Mullumbimby will service the entire Byron Shire.People will be able to ask questions and get support and experts will be available to guide people through how they get access to grants and programs that are available or anything else they need.
More information about the Mullumbimby Flood Recovery Centre will be put on the Service NSW website as soon as possible.
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