Council facing $232m in flood damage granted urgent disaster funding extension

Facing an impossible deadline to repair $232 million worth of damaged roads after the record-breaking flood in May, Midcoast Council has been granted an extension to complete government funded works by the end of the year.

Both the state and federal governments have provided local councils with a grace period of 90-days for reconstruction and emergency works. During that timeframe the cost for those works is reimbursed.

However, the tight turnaround after the most recent floods was simply not possible for MidCoast council to manage – with restoration works overlapping for each of the four natural disasters that have occurred in the LGA this year.

In the wake of the recent flood event, the damage has exceeded $232 million for MidCoast council with that figure expected to climb. Since May, crews have only managed to get through a small fraction of the 8,721 road defects in need of repair, spending just $5.25 million to date.

With the 90-day deadline looming, Mayor Clare Pontin issued an urgent request for an extension from three to six months, which was granted on July 28. Council can now continue government funded works to be completed by the end of December.

"It is very pleasing that the government has listened to us and has provided the extra time,” Mayor Claire Pontin told the Mid North Coaster.

“It means we can rely on getting the necessary funding to repair the flood damage to our road system."

Pontin said while the extension is “great news” – and the council can continue “recovering from one of the worst floods in history” – the work of advocating for funding isn’t over yet.

“I will continue to advocate for more for our residents and businesses,” she said.

The current work status for MidCoast council includes the 8721 road defects requiring repair work, plus 582 emergency work items with approximately 200 more anticipated, 54 immediate restoration works projects with a further 100 anticipated,  seven essential public asset restoration projects and an additional 23 related to significant landslips.

Natural disasters have already cost Australians more than $2.2 billion this year, and the government is warning that figure could rise to at least $13.5 billion in the near future. Scientists are saying severe weather events – like floods, fires, storms – are becoming more frequent and intense due to the rise in global temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels. 

David Karoly, Emeritus Professor at the University of Melbourne and climate scientist, told the Mid North Coaster the good news was that we know how to address the increase in extreme weather like heavy rainfall: by shifting to renewable energy.

Thumbnail: May flooding in Wingham. Supplied MidCoast council.