Emergency funds available for Illawarra flooding victims

The state and federal governments have made disaster assistance funding available to those in the Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama Local Government Areas.

This includes assistance to help meet immediate needs like emergency accommodation, small cash payments to purchase essential items generally provided from evacuation or recovery centres and grants for essential structural repairs to homes.

Councils can also get funding to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets.

"It's important that we act quickly to activate disaster support so affected communities can begin their clean-up and recovery," Acting Federal Minister for Emergency Management Catherine King said.

"The NSW Government is continuing to assess the damage and fully understand the impact of this disaster, and the Australian Government stands ready to respond to any requests for assistance."

NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib praised the efforts of the emergency services and volunteers.

"We are grateful to our volunteers and to our communities who have worked together to keep each other safe as these intense storms passed through NSW," Minister Dib said.

"The SES has continued to work throughout the night to reach out to communities and I'm confident that with the work they've been doing, that we are being incredibly proactive."

For information relating to financial assistance, replacing lost documents, location of your nearest recovery centre and more, please contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 or visit www.nsw.gov.au.

To apply for a concessional loan or primary producer grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au.

Further information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government's Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au.

The state government has also announced a lifting of the waste levy fee for residents disposing of flood-damaged waste in the Illawarra South Coast region.

The waiver applies to waste generated within the Wollongong, Shoalhaven, Shellharbour, and Kiama Local Government Areas until June 30.

The exemption applies to waste on public and private land and covers damaged building materials, furniture, gardening debris and any other flood-related products. It does not apply to recycled materials.