[ad_1]
Survivors of the Black Summer bushfires are “still traumatised” and living in caravans more than a year after the devastating blazes.
A Senate committee investigating the recovery from the fires on Tuesday heard about the struggle from frontline volunteers and residents.
A “gaping hole” in the disaster relief process meant some residents around the NSW Bega Valley town of Cobargo were only coming forward for support now.
“People were traumatised and they didn’t know where to seek assistance, nor did they have anywhere near adequate housing. Fourteen months on, that’s still the case,” survivor Christine Walters said.
A father and son died in the bushfire that ripped through Cobargo, razing dozens of buildings in the main street.
But Ms Walters, the Cobargo Bushfire Relief Centre co-co-ordinator, said there was not enough publicity about how to seek help.
“People are still living in caravans with a tarp for shelter, half a shed or a Minderoo pod; now that’s luxury,” she said.
“People are still traumatised and need mental health help in person, not on the phone or online.”
Ms Walters said the relief centre did not know of how many locals still needed assistance or did not have suitable housing because tiers of government would not share information with them.
She told the committee that the grant application hoops were “debilitating” for survivors and that one woman missed out on a grant because her income passed the threshold by $27.
Another person was under the impression that relief work ended in June last year.
“All these factors mean that people will fall through the cracks and not receive the assistance that they desperately need,” Ms Walters said.
“Fourteen months after a disaster is too long to still have people coming into the bushfire relief centre for the first time.”
She warned that the failure to address these issues was further deteriorating people’s mental and physical health as well as the economic viability of the region due to the prolonged rebuild.
Cobargo Recovery Fund president Zena Armstrong raised concerns about other communities in the region that have struggled to access funding.
They did not have the expertise needed to meet the planning requirements and navigate the “complex” NSW grants program, she warned.
“It is concerning to hear that some in authority are now claiming that most people are doing well, and that it is mainly those with pre-existing mental health conditions who are doing it tough,” Ms Armstrong said.
“This is not the case. We are recovering. But these fires have shaken everyone who lived through them, whether or not they were flame affected.
“A full recovery of individuals and communities across the eastern seaboard is still a long way off.”
[ad_2]
Source link
