The Hon Wendy Tuckerman MP is the Minister for Local Government visited Tweed Shire this morning to take a look at the impact of the recent, unprecedented, flooding in the region.
‘It was fantastic to have her here and get that understanding from a local government level of the scale of the devastation and the task ahead – particularly around the roads,’ Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry told The Echo.
The Tweed has seen 500 houses declared uninhabitable and over 2,000 homes damaged in the recent floods. There are also people who are still isolated in areas such as Commissioners Creek and Byrrill Creek where there have been significant landslides.
‘It was a really positive meeting. She was open to the issue of looking at national funding in the Tweed as well,’ said Mayor Cherry.
Mayor Cherry highlighted the importance of rebuilding infrastructure that improves on what was previously there.
‘We need betterment for our infrastructure funding, like for like is not okay. We need to be looking ahead to what is going to help our community in the future. Looking yesterday at some of the repairs we put in at Byrrill Creek after 2017 flood some held up really well. There is acceptance that there will be a next time and we need to prepare for that.’
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
