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An outreach service will be in Bowraville tomorrow, Thursday.
The fire recovery bus will be parked in the main street near the Frank Partridge Military Museum.
TUESDAY:
The Nambucca Shire's Fire Recovery Centre has opened its doors this morning (Tuesday) at the Macksville Senior Citizens Hall (adjacent to the Library) Princess Street, Macksville.
The centre will be a one-stop shop for landholders and residents impacted by the recent fires to gain information and assistance and will be open from 9am to 3pm daily.
Red Cross, Office Emergency of Management, Disaster Welfare Services, Local Land Services, Council and Rural Mental Health Services Officers will be based at the Centre and will assist residents to work out what they need to do and to develop an action plan.
The mayor, Rhonda Hoban, said there were many things people needed to help them get back on their feet and the centre would offer local, one-on-one assistance with personal and practical needs such as:
- Finding out what financial and non-financial support is available to you
- Assisting with referral and application processes
- Managing grief and loss
- Navigating insurance and the rebuilding process
- Liaising with Centrelink and other government bodies to complete applications
- Developing strategies on how best to support children, families and yourself after disaster
She said at this early stage the council would be monitoring the services to make sure what is provided is what is needed.
"And we'll make adjustments as necessary," Cr Hoban said.
"I am meeting Euan Ferguson, the recovery co-ordinator, today to talk about the shire's situation - what I am really after is the bloke with the cheque book who can make a decision and make it quickly.
"There is a lot of talk but the details are slow and people need to know what is there for them so they can decide how to move forward."
She said with some people having lost everything, including their means of earning an income, recovery is going to be a slow process.
"We know that natural disaster funding will come and there are also the $1000 lump sums from Centrelink but that does not go far enough ... for example, Centrelink bases its assessments on assets - farmers who may still have their house but have lost all their bananas or avocados find they are not eligible for assistance.
"My focus will be on making sure we get this sorted so people are not left in limbo."