More Queenslanders and councils supported with recovery following ex-TC Kirrily

More Queensland residents and councils are eligible for disaster assistance as severe weather associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily continues to impact more the state.

Intense rain bombs and flash flooding have affected residents many hundreds of kilometres from where Kirrily first crossed the coast just north of Townsville on Thursday 25 January 2024.

On Monday 29 January, residents of Kynuna in McKinlay Shire, 730 kilometres inland from Townsville, were evacuated to Cloncurry.

Bray Park residents in the Moreton Bay Regional Council area, meanwhile, 1,500 kilometres south of Townsville, were woken at 3.00am Tuesday 30 January by flood water rushing through their homes.

Those residents, and others impacted in the Hinchinbrook Shire Council area, and the targeted areas of Hervey Range in Charters Towers, McKinlay in McKinlay Shire, and Warra in the Western Downs, can apply for financial support through the Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme.

This includes grants of $180 for individuals and up to $900 for a family of five or more to cover the costs of essentials like food, clothing and medicine.

Also available are support measures to help eligible people make their home safe to live in and to reconnect essential services like electricity, water and sewerage.

The hard-hit councils of Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay, Townsville and Winton will also receive financial assistance for counter disaster operations and the reconstruction of essential public assets like roads and bridges, while Palm Island will receive support to rebuild assets as well. 

All Personal Hardship Assistance and council aid is being provided through the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

The Queensland Reconstruction Authority continues to monitor local recovery efforts and will activate further DRFA support where required.

More information on disaster assistance can be found at www.disasterassist.gov.au or www.qld.gov.au/disasterhelp.

People requiring immediate assistance can contact the Queensland Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.