Councils in Queensland are set to benefit from $4.5 million in grant funding to speed up recovery from floods and cyclones and boost their resilience to future extreme weather events.
69 projects across 39 LGAs affected by severe weather and flooding during 2021-22 will benefit, through round two of the Flexible Funding Grants program.
Projects include solar towers to provide power during outages, remote flood warning systems, emergency preparedness education programs, mental health services and resilience activities for people with disability.
The Flexible Funding Grants program is jointly funded under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). Under these arrangements, up to $20 million was made available for eligible projects to support human and social recovery in the affected areas.
Across both rounds of the program, Queenslanders in 39 communities have benefitted from more than $7.5 million in funding for 123 projects to boost their recovery and disaster preparedness.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt, said that this grants program empowers local organisations to bring their projects to life, like securing emergency backup power, connecting with vulnerable members of the community, or mental health and wellbeing support programs.
“These projects will equip communities with the tools to recover from previous events, while also building resilience to prepare them for future disasters,” Minister Watt said.
“Community-led recovery is important because those affected by disasters understand their needs and know where the gaps exist in their local area. That’s why all levels of government have come together to support these projects, both big and small.
“I commend the vast range of organisations who have come together to further Queensland’s recovery and build its resilience through this program, making a significant difference for their communities now and into the future.”
Queensland Minister for Communities, Leeanne Enoch, said that Queenslanders are no strangers to extreme weather and have a strong tradition of helping each other through the challenges of natural disasters.
“The rapid succession of severe weather events during 2021 and 2022 highlights the need for ongoing vigilance and resilience as we see continued changes in the climate,” Minister Enoch said.
“By funding locally led projects, we can support local recovery and ensure communities are better prepared for future severe weather events.
“Helping communities unite and thrive before, during and after natural disasters and other adverse events are key goals of our Communities 2032 strategy.”
