Following The Hills Shire being declared a natural disaster zone, Mayor Dr Peter Gangemi has thanked the Australian and State governments for their support during the latest flood crisis to affect the district.

Cliftonville and River roads intersection Lower Portland.

Sackville Ferry.

Dargyle.

Pages Wharf Road, Sackville North.

The declaration allows residents who have been affected by this natural disaster to claim for funding and access support to help them get through this time.

“Some of our communities have been impacted by floods for about the fourth time in the past 16 months,” Mayor Gangemi said.

“This is particularly upsetting for some of our residents who have had to fix and potentially rebuild their homes and parts of their properties on up to four occasions. Council is in a similar position where we’ve had to rebuild roads and facilities all over again, such as our Wisemans Ferry Park Reserve, which is now back under water.

Webbs Creek Ferry.

“I want to thank both the Australian and State Governments for their support, which will include financial assistance and any other initiatives that will help our residents and business owners get through this difficult time,” Mayor Gangemi added.

He also thanked the emergency services and volunteers who have been working around the clock to keep people and their properties safe.

“I want to say a big thank you to our SES, RFS, emergency services and volunteers who have been working tirelessly throughout this crisis and prior flood disasters. Their dedication and commitment to saving lives, property and communities is above and beyond,” Mayor Gangemi added.

With major flooding in the Sackville, Lower Portland and Wisemans Ferry areas, Mayor Gangemi urged residents to delay unnecessary travel until conditions eased and to be careful of fallen trees and potholes opening up again.

“Our crews are working hard to repair our roads as quickly as they can,” Mayor Gangemi said.

“I encourage residents to use the “Report it to Council” webpage which is located on Council’s website, thehills.nsw.gov.au, to report issues such as potholes and fallen trees.

For further information on how to access funding and support, visit the Australian Government’s National Recovery and Resilience Agency: recovery.gov.au/NSWflood.

To apply for a concessional loan or primary producer grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au. And for information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contract Service NSW on 13 77 88.

Main picture: Wisemans Ferry.