Queensland Government Promises $900 of Assistance to Flood Victims

Bray Park, in the Moreton Bay region north of Brisbane, was one of the areas hardest hit by the flood event that followed intense rainfall this week, part of a system brought by the cyclone.

Residents of the suburb can now apply for Personal Hardship Assistance grants of up to $180 for individuals or as much as $900 for families of five or more.

The grants are designed to fund the purchase of essentials like food, clothing, and medicines required by flood victims.

“This latest flooding is a bitter blow for many Bray Park residents who have only just finished cleaning up following the terrible floods of 2022,” said Nikki Boyd, the minister responsible for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.

“Being woken at 3.00am with water rushing through your house is an extremely traumatic experience, especially given the events of a mere two years ago.

“The community’s response, however, has been nothing short of inspirational, and the activation of Personal Hardship Assistance will help those hurting right now.”

The Moreton Bay area experienced severe thunderstorms and intense rainfall on Monday night, leading to flash-flooding, road closures, livestock issues, and landslides.

The area was also hit by major flooding nearly exactly two years ago.

Suncorp is urging those impacted to contact their insurer as soon as they can.

It notes customers of any of its brands can begin their clean up without waiting for an assessment, but asks them to document damage prior to doing so.

“It’s been a relentless few months of severe weather particularly in Queensland with two cyclones, dangerous storms, and flash flooding,” said Alli Smith, Suncorp Group executive general manager of home claims customers.

“Once you lodge a claim our team is able to arrange temporary accommodation, make emergency payments if needed, and help arrange emergency repairs.”

Impacted residents of South East Queensland might also be eligible for grants of up to $50,000 if they lost access to essential services or realised damage to homes or contents.

Essential Services Hardship Assistance - up to $750

If you lost power, gas, water, or sewerage connection to your home for more than five consecutive days following the flood event, you could be eligible for an Essential Services Hardship Assistance grant.

The grant can provide up to $150 per person, extending to a maximum of $750 for a family of five or more.

It aims to help cover the cost of immediate needs following the loss of services.

The Queensland Government can also provide income-tested grants of up to $5,000 to help uninsured households reconnect damaged services.

Structural Assistance Grants - up to $50,000

On top of that, uninsured homeowners who meet income tests could receive as much as $50,000 to repair or replace a flood damaged dwelling.

To be eligible for a Structural Assistance Grant, individuals must be earning pre-tax income of under $1,133 a week, or $1,567 if they are the sole parent of one child.

Couples, meanwhile, can earn up to $1,566 weekly, or as much as $1,942 if they have a child, and remain eligible.

Those thresholds are increased by $376 per week for each additional child, and by $433 per week for each additional dependent adult.

Essential Household Contents Grants - up to $5,300

Finally, if you’ve had essential household contents, such as beds, linen, or white goods, destroyed or lost in the flood event, you might be eligible for an Essential Household Contents grant.

The grant can offer up to $1,765 for individuals and as much as $5,300 for couples or families.

It is available to Queenslanders who don’t have insurance to cover the loss of such goods and who earn under the thresholds mentioned above.

"Queensland Government promises $900 of assistance to flood victims" was originally published on Savings.com.au and was republished with permission.