April 3, 2017
The South Burnett dodged a bullet when the tail of ex-Cyclone Debbie swept through our region, but our neighbouring shires of the North Burnett and Gympie were not so lucky.
They were among seven council areas added to the disaster assistance list on Monday.
In the North Burnett, Percy Hindmarsh Bridge at Glencoe Road near Rawbelle was swept away by the flood and seriously damaged.
Dahtlers Bridge at Mungungo also suffered damage and Biggenden’s sewage plant had to be flushed out after it was discovered that fuel from a third party system had entered the plant.
Several major roads will also need to be inspected to ensure they are safe for public use.
In Gympie, a bridge at the Tin Can Bay Road end of Randwick Road over East Deep Creek suffered damage and remains closed until repairs can be effected.
State Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan said joint Federal-State disaster assistance had now been extended to 27 local government areas.
Mr Ryan said the extra assistance meant that councils would have help with the costs of repairing damage to infrastructure as quickly as possible.
The funding is targeted solely at the restoration or replacement of essential public assets in the affected areas.
- External link: DisasterAssist Payments
