A natural disaster zone has been declared in the Cessnock local government area following the recent floods as a massive clean-up effort continues.
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Wollombi bore the brunt of the deluge, with the township isolated for almost three days after all roads into the village were closed due to flooding.
With Paynes Crossing Road and Great North Road already closed for several days beforehand, Wollombi Road was cut off at Millfield after last Tuesday's downpour, leaving the village as an island until Friday morning, with emergency helicopters deployed to deliver supplies for stranded residents.
Volunteers from the State Emergency Service's Cessnock City Unit were joined by Australian Defence Force personnel on Sunday and Monday to assist with the clean-up, removing fallen trees from roads to restore residents' access.
The Cessnock City Unit has attended 78 callouts in the first two weeks of March, including two flood rescues, 35 storm-related jobs, 37 flood-related jobs and two calls to support other agencies.
Unit commander Jenny Ehmsen said it's been a big job for a fairly small team, and there's still quite a bit of work ahead.
"My guys have been tremendous, they have gone above and beyond. They're so passionate about helping their community," she said.
As of Tuesday morning, roads around the Cessnock LGA that remained closed included Murrays Run Road, Watagan Creek Road and Milsons Arm Road at Laguna; Yango Creek Road at both the Wollombi and Laguna ends, and Congewai Road and Thursbys Road at Congewai.
Cessnock is one of 57 local government areas around NSW to be included in the natural disaster declaration, which will unlock funding and support for businesses and individuals under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (a jointly-funded program between the Australian Government and state and territory governments).
Cessnock mayor Jay Suvaal said the repeated impact of flooding and other disasters had taken its toll on the community.
"We are a resilient community, but this is the second flood in less than 12 months and that came on the back of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/2020," Cr Suvaal said.
"Government support is essential to assist with the costs these events are having, not just to our community, but all communities in flood and disaster prone areas.
"Anyone who has been impacted by the recent weather event should visit the council's website to see if they are eligible for assistance.
"Council will now turn its attention to assessing the damage and begin the recovery process."
Council will be able to access funding for repair to essential infrastructure damaged in the storm and flood event.
An array of grants and loans for individuals, businesses, primary producers, not-for-profits, and sporting and recreational clubs are also available under the package.
Further information is available at cessnock.nsw.gov.au/assistance.
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