Support to build recovery and resilience now available
Published on 19 February 2024
Mount Alexander Shire Council is inviting the community to reach out for assistance and support following the severe weather event on Tuesday 23 February.
The storm impacted homes and businesses with fallen trees, power outages, fences down and in some instances, homes lost.
Council is doing everything they can to support residents who were impacted by the storm.
Staff are out speaking with community members who reported damage to offer support and resources, and responding to enquiries received through Council’s website and Customer Service team.
Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Mayor, Cr Matthew Driscoll, said that he’s proud of the work that Council staff, emergency service responders and the wider community did during the storm.
“A big thank you to everyone who went above and beyond on Tuesday, responding to calls and making sure our community was safe.
“It was a challenging day, but through the efforts of our emergency service first responders, community members and Council staff we got through it together”, said Mayor Driscoll.
If you’ve been impacted by the storm, you may be eligible for relief assistance from Services Australia or the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
Relief assistance:
Council is the best point of contact to process requests with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
If you think you may be eligible for assistance through the program, call 5471 1700 and ask to speak to a member of Council’s Emergency Management team, or email info@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.
Council is also looking towards future solutions by hosting a community event with psychologist and national disaster preparedness and recovery expert, David Younger.
David has been supporting communities through Australia since the 2009 Black Saturday fires. David is also a clinical psychologist and has seen first hand there can be opportunities for recovery and growth within adversity.
The event will be held in Newstead on Friday 23 February, where David will speak to the community about common natural disaster recovery challenges, offer tips for recovering well, and answer questions.
Event details
When: Friday 23 February, 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Where: Newstead Community Centre, 9 Lyons Street, Newstead
Cost: Free (dinner provided).
RSVP: Before Thursday 22 February