QRA hitting the pavement for damage assessment follow-ups across Queensland

Queensland Reconstruction Authority officers are carrying out the first follow-up damage assessments on properties impacted by the state's recent summer of disasters.

QRA's latest Damage Assessment and Reconstruction Monitoring (DARM) operation will take place over two week-long periods, with disaster impacted homes and businesses to be visited from Cook Shire to the Gold Coast and inland to Western Downs.

Almost 3,000 properties will be assessed between 15-19 April and 29 April - 3 May.

DARM allows the government to identify any ongoing issues people are facing with their recovery from a disaster, helping them resolve the challenges they're up against in a fast and effective way.

Officers from QRA and Queensland's Department of Communities will be going door to door talking to residents and collecting information on property damage, status of repair works, insurance claims, and any follow-up requirements from Communities or other areas of government.

Properties that remain damaged, and homeowners in need of additional support, will be revisited in the middle of the year.

The operation has started this week in Far North Queensland, covering homes and businesses in the council areas of Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Cook, Douglas, Mareeba.

More than 1,700 properties damaged by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper are scheduled to be assessed.

Following this, QRA officers will turn their attention south, with a further 1,200-plus damage assessments to be carried out between 29 April and 3 May.

These activities will cover the Gold Coast, Scenic Rim, Logan, Moreton Bay, Lockyer Valley, Western Downs and Townsville LGAs.

DARM audits are conducted at regular intervals following a severe disaster, usually for up to a year, allowing QRA to monitor recovery, identify issues, and ensure communities and residents are getting every bit of support they need.

The vital information collected is shared with councils, state and federal agencies, and other relevant support providers to make sure no Queenslander slips through the cracks following a disaster.

The properties being assessed were first identified as damaged following more than 10,000 rapid assessments done by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) and QRA in the immediate aftermath of Cyclones Jasper and Kirrily, and the SEQ storms.

For more information on QRA Damage Assessment and Reconstruction Monitoring (DARM) visit www.qra.qld.gov.au/darm.