Flood Assistance Resources
Updated 15th April 2024
The NCOSS Flood Assistance Resources are information about key supports and services for individuals and communities impacted by NSW Floods. They are for NCOSS Member organisations and other services supporting communities impacted by floods and severe weather events.
To confirm whether your Local Government Area is Disaster Declared, go to the NSW Government's Natural disaster declarations webpage.
Please note that NCOSS is a peak body and cannot directly provide people with assistance for flood relief. For emergency help in a flood, call the NSW State Emergency Service on 132 500.
- For latest evacuation warnings and information, download the Hazards Near Me NSW app to your mobile phone or tablet, or visit the NSW State Emergency Service website, or call 132 500.
- The NSW State Emergency Service has prepared factsheets on what to do when an Evacuation Warning is issued and when an Evacuation Order is issued.
- Red Cross Register.Find.Reunite: If you’ve been displaced from your home due to flooding, it’s important to register your details so your friends and family know you’re safe. The Register.Find.Reunite website is a national system used to find and reunite loved ones after an emergency.
Financial support - for people
- NSW Government offers a range of grants and payments for people affected by the floods. Click here for guidance.
- Service NSW provides an overview of financial assistance available to people impacted by the floods, and a Disaster Assistance Finder to help people find the assistance they are eligible for. Call Service NSW 13 77 88, 7am - 7pm, Monday to Friday and 9am - 5pm on weekends and public holidays.
- Dedicated community recovery centres provide face-to-face support for NSW residents affected by natural disasters. Service NSW lists current centres and opening times.
- Services Australia offers a one-off Crisis Payment for those already receiving payments from Centrelink. It is half of your fortnightly payment. There is also a Crisis Payment for Other Extreme Circumstances.
- Services Australia also offers payments and help for people directly affected by bushfires, floods or other natural disasters.
- NSW Government Disaster Relief Grants are available for eligible individuals and families whose homes and essential household contents have been damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster and are uninsured. Call Service NSW on 13 77 88 and ask about the Disaster Relief Grant administered by Resilience NSW.
- Families receiving a Child Care Subsidy may be eligible for an Additional Child Care Subsidy due to temporary financial hardship.
- The Australian Taxation Office will assist people affected by floods, for example by deferring tax lodgement or debt payment, helping with lost tax file numbers or records, or remitting any penalties or interest during the time you have been affected. Call the ATO Emergency Support Infoline on 1800 806 218 for assistance.
- The Australian Banking Association has a list of member banks provide emergency assistance for customers experiencing financial difficulty .
- The National Debt Helpline provides free assistance to those in financial difficulty. Call 1800 007 007, 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
- Revenue NSW assists people impacted by the floods by placing a hold on all fines, debt, and Work and Development Orders, extending payment deadlines and lifting driving sanctions. Call 1300 138 118.
Financial support - for organisations
- Find a government initiative, grant or funding program to help support your business, project or your community here.
- NSW Government offers grants, loans, and financial assistance to businesses affected by the flood. Click here for guidance.
- The Medium Business Support Grant is now closed for new applicants. If you are an approved applicant, you can make further claims through your Service NSW Business Profile until 30 June 2024.. If you have an enquiry, please call Service NSW 13 77 88.
- Disaster recovery small business grant: If you’re a small business or a not-for-profit organisation in a defined disaster area and have been impacted by storms and floods, you may be eligible for a storm and flood disaster recovery grant to help pay for the costs of clean-up and reinstatement of a small business or not-for-profit organisation’s operations. Apply online at Service NSW or call 13 77 88.
- $1,000 SafeWork small business rebate: The $1,000 rebate is available to small businesses and not-for-profits with fewer than 50 full-time employees. The SafeWork small business rebate helps organisations purchase items to help clean up or improve work health and safety.
- Childcare services at risk of closure in flood-impacted areas may be eligible for a Community Child Care Fund Special Circumstances Grant Opportunity to help their service stay open.
- The Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal regularly offer grants to support regional community programs and initiatives.
- Flood Property Assessment Program: Free structural assessments are available for damaged buildings in eligible LGAs damaged by flooding in February and June 2022. This is an opt-in program that provides a detailed assessment report, including a comprehensive scope of repair works and estimated repair costs.
- Rebuilding and repairing your property: Some low impact works can be carried out in disaster areas without the need for development approval – visit the temporary rebuilding works page to find out more.
- Resilient Homes Program: Financial assistance is available to homeowners to improve the flood-resilience of residential properties in the Northern Rivers. Eligible homeowners may be offered assistance for home buyback, home raising or home retrofit.
- Emergency or temporary accommodation after a flood: Accommodation support is available to people affected by floods. This includes emergency accommodation or long-term temporary accommodation in housing pods, caravan parks and campgrounds. If you need urgent accommodation or need to register for temporary housing in flood-affected regions of NSW, call Service NSW.
- Renters have rights if their home is damaged by disaster. The Tenants Union have advice on disaster damage for renters. Enter your postcode here to find your local Tenants’ Advice & Advocacy Service. Or contact the Tenants Advice Line: 1800 251 101, on Mondays 10am-1pm and Thursdays 2-5pm.
- NSW Fair Trading has prepared information on tenancy rights during flood.
Flood health and safety information
- NSW Health has prepared a range of resources on maintaining health during and after floods , including what to do about cleaning up after a flood, drinking water, mosquito control and managing your medications.
- For NSW Health information on mosquito-borne diseases.
- Cleaning up debris and waste: Local councils can help residents dispose of flood-damaged rubbish and other waste. The waste levy can be waived for waste arising as a result of storms and floods subject to a natural disaster declaration. Check your local landfill websites for opening hours and whether there are special requirements for disposing of flood-damaged waste.
- The Asbestos Awareness website has information on managing asbestos hazards following storms and floods.
- State Emergency Service (SES) have created an SES Recovery guide from floods and storms . See more information from the SES below:
- Australian Red Cross provides advice and resources on Cleaning up after a disaster.
- The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services assist landholders and communities with animal welfare-related issues, including veterinary assistance, emergency fodder and stock water, stock euthanasia and burial, and care of animals in evacuation centres. Contact the Agriculture and Animal Services Hotline on 1800 814 647 (operating weekdays, 9.00am and 5.00pm).
- Contact RSPCA for assistance with pets, livestock (including horses), and wildlife on 1300 278 358.
Replacing damaged documents (licences, permits, certificates)
- Contact Service NSW to replace licenses, permits, certificates and registrations including birth, marriage and change of name, NSW Fair Trading and SafeWork NSW, family law, citizenship and Medicare documents. Call 13 77 88.
- GIVIT is managing offers of donated goods, services, volunteering and funds, including corporate offers in response to the Queensland and New South Wales flooding. Organisations can register with GIVIT to distribute donations in their area.
- Good360 is a matchmaker, connecting brand-new goods donated by businesses to people and communities who need them the most. Organisations can register with Good360 to distribute donations in their area.
- Telstra customers impacted by floods may be eligible for relief packages which can include one-off credit, mobile call diversion, a boost to data and free calls as well as reconnection support.
- Information for Optus customers impacted by floods.
- There are payment options and financial hardship options are also available for Simply Energy customers impacted by disasters. Call 13 88 08 (Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm) for assistance.
- Origin Energy can provide updates and additional bill relief for customers who have been severely impacted.
- Visit the Australian Energy Regulator website to find out your gas or electricity provider.
- The Insurance Australia Group (IAG) provide a series of severe weather factsheets. Call IAG insurers for assistance:
- NRMA Insurance:13 11 23 or nrma.com.au
- CGU Insurance:13 24 80 or cgu.com.au
- WFI Insurance:1300 934 934 or wfi.com.au
- Coles Insurance:1300 265 374 or coles.com.au/insurance
- The Insurance Council of Australia, has information on natural disasters and a hotline. Call 1800 734 621 (note this is not a claim lodgement service).
- The Insurance Law Service is an insurance helpline for consumers. Call the Insurance Hotline on 1300 663 464 Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm.
- The Legal Aid NSW Disaster Response Legal Service (DRLS) has a disaster response service that can help people impacted by floods with legal problems including insurance claims and disputes, financial hardship, tenancy and Centrelink. Call 1800 801 529, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
- Community Legal Centres can help people impacted by floods with insurance claims, tenancy, Centrelink, lost documents and financial hardship.
- Justice Connect an provide free legal advice and ongoing representation to eligible small businesses, farms and primary producers affected by natural disasters like floods and bushfires.
- Emotional and trauma support: Learn about available support and how to look after your own and your loved ones' wellbeing after a disaster. A range of 24/7 mental health services and professional help is available from the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511. People can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
- The NSW Government Free training and coaching provides links to free, easy-to-do programs you can use to support mental health in your workplace.
- The NSW Rural Adversity Mental Health Program links people to appropriate mental health support in their area. Local RAMHP Coordinators are working to identify and link people in need of extra support.
- The NSW Mental Health Line provides links to mental health services on 1800 011 511.
- Lifeline 13 11 14, is available to listen and support 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Phone, SMS and online chat is available.
- Australian Red Cross provides resources on looking after yourself after a disaster.
- Headspace provides information for family and friends supporting young people affected by a natural disaster.
- Emerging Minds provides resources and advice on supporting children’s mental health during disaster and traumatic events.
- Local community services and organisations are at the forefront of the flood response and recovery. Ask at your local Recovery Centre or community hub, or search using Infoxchange Service Seeker or Ask Izzy to find out what local services are doing in your area.
- My Community Directory provides online health and community information for locations throughout NSW
- Disaster Recovery Volunteering. Pre-register your interest in volunteering for disaster recovery organisations with The Centre for Volunteering.
- Strategic Grants helps build nonprofits’ capacity through their GEMS grants database, grant writing, grants training, grants workshops, program design and monitoring and evaluation frameworks and strategic planning for grants management success.
- Have your say on business impacts of floods and storms: The NSW Government is surveying businesses impacted by the recent storms and floods to better understand the extent and severity of damage in impacted Local Government Areas. If your business has been impacted, please complete this 5-minute survey. The results from this survey will help inform decisions around potential further support and assistance for affected communities and businesses.
- The NSW Government provides information on disaster response and recovery arrangements and how community organisations can be involved.
- The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience’s (AIDR’s) Flood recovery resources page brings together a comprehensive collection of key guidance material, research, information, and useful tools to support communities recovering from major flooding events.
- The Small Business Commissioner provides guides to help your business prepare for and recover from disaster: Having a plan can help prevent damage to valuable stock and get your business back up and running sooner. Download the Get Ready for Disasters kit to help prepare for disasters.
- NCOSS and the NSW Mental Health Commission have produced Guides and a Workbook for community-based organisations to identify the roles they contribute to disaster recovery and resilience in their community: Planning and preparing for community-led disaster recovery: A guide for local organisations, Workbook for community-based organisations.
- NSW community services organisations provide critical support to communities before during and after crisis events. The NCOSS Building Resilience for Emergency Responses webpages contain case studies, podcasts and resources to support services with this important work.
Emergency Volunteering is a NSW Government website providing information on volunteering with formal emergency agencies, management of spontaneous volunteers and current volunteering opportunities.
To provide updated or new flood assistance information, please contact info@ncoss.org.au.