The Eurobodalla Bushfire Recovery Centre is travelling to Bodalla and Narooma this week to provide support to fire-affected communities.
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The Bodalla outreach will be held in the Bodalla Hall, 60 Princes Highway on Wednesday, January 29 from 6pm to 8pm.
The Narooma outreach will be held at Narooma Golf Glub (venue change) on Thursday, January 30 from 6pm to 8pm.
Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Liz Innes said the centre was managed by the NSW Office of Emergency Management and supported by council.
Residents could have one-on-one conversations with agency staff throughout the evenings to have their questions answered or to get help specific to their needs.
The outreach sessions have staff from Red Cross, Local Land Services, Rural Adversity Mental Health, Disaster Welfare, NSW Mental Health, NSW Housing, Office of Emergency Management, Council and others.
Each representative would take a few minutes to explain the support on offer, who is eligible and how the support can be accessed.
"This week they travel to Bodalla and Narooma to offer rural landowners whose properties have been impacted by the fires the opportunity to come together for a light meal and to catch up with representatives from the different recovery agencies," Cr Innes said.
"If the outreach is appropriate for you, I urge you to attend," Clr Innes said.
"Otherwise, the Eurobodalla Recovery Centre is open 9am to 5pm weekdays and 10am to 4pm weekends, at the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, with a full range of service organisations and many insurers also represented.
"If you require assistance with transport, please contact Community Transport on 4474 1040."
The Eurobodalla Bushfire Recovery Centre opened on Wednesday, January 15. The recovery centre agencies were at Mogo and Malua Bay last week.
Bushfire affected residents can also contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 or visit www.service.nsw.go.au for assistance.
Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes said the centre was there to help the community with practical assistance.
"Since opening, well over 800 households have registered so far - from South Durras to Wallaga Lake," she said.
"They've taken advantage of a range of government and non-government services to help rebuild their lives with practical advice and emotional and economic support."
Department of Human Services
A Department of Human Services spokesperson said 44,000 claims had been made between September 2019 and January 17, with almost $53 million paid out.
For more information, go to:
- Information about the Mobile Service Centres, what they can do to help and where to find them: www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/mobile-service-centres
- General information is available at: www.humanservices.gov.au/disaster
- The fastest way to claim disaster assistance payments is to phone 180 22 66 Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm. Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 5pm.
- For updates on social media, visit www.facebook.com/HumanServicesAU
- Reporting someone you may suspect to be committing fraud against Centrelink, more info on this is available, at www.humanservices.gov.au/fraud.\
Say thanks to our heroes
It has been Australia's lost summer. Drought, hail, floods and, worst of all, bushfires have ravaged communities all over the nation. But the selfless actions of friends, family, neighbours, strangers, local groups and volunteer organisations have inspired us and strengthened the bonds of community. Please join us in saying thanks to the heroes of the home front by sharing your stories of gratitude. To salute a person or a group, please use the form below.
