City of Parramatta to donate $10,000 to flood victims

City of Parramatta Council will donate $10,000 to the NSW Floods Appeal, as the clean-up from weeks of severe weather and flooding continues.

The City of Parramatta was one of 17 local government areas declared a disaster zone following the extreme weather event that started on 22 February.

“Many residents and businesses in our community have been impacted by the heavy rain and storms over the past few weeks, but we are conscious that the flooding experienced in some other regions of NSW has been even worse,” City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Donna Davis said.

“It has been heartbreaking to see the images and hear the stories about the extensive damage that this unprecedented weather event has caused across NSW and Queensland.

“I want to thank the NSW State Emergency Services, NSW Police, and other emergency personnel and volunteers who selflessly responded to calls for help across our City, as well as Council staff who have worked day and night to inspect sites, sandbag, clear debris and fallen trees, and assist with road closures.

“We had multiple crews on hand to ensure they could respond to requests from residents and emergency personnel swiftly, to minimise inconvenience and disruption to the community and ensure their safety.

“While our staff are continuing to clean up and repair the damage across our City, I ask our community for their patience, as we work hard to return our roads and parks to their original condition.”

At its first meeting since the severe weather events, Council agreed to donate $10,000 to the GIVIT NSW Floods Appeal.

“Our community has shown time and again how generous they are, and I encourage anyone who wishes to donate to relief and recovery efforts to do so through GIVIT or the Australian Red Cross,” Cr Davis said.

“Our upcoming ‘Rock in the Park’ concert – as part of our Parramatta Nights series – will also be a fundraising event for the Australian Red Cross’s flood relief appeal, to enable their volunteers and staff to help with evacuations, relief centres and outreach services to assist communities recover from disasters.”

City of Parramatta Council is a member of Resilience NSW’s Greater Sydney Recovery Committee and the Local Government Emergency Recovery Support Group, which co-ordinates support from councils across the state – including requests for staff and loaning of machinery and equipment to assist with recovery efforts.

Individuals in the Parramatta LGA are eligible for support through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), which can be accessed via Service NSW. Residents may also be eligible for the Commonwealth Government’s Disaster Recovery Payment.