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Tweed Shire Council is today launching its Mayoral Flood Appeal following a unanimous vote at last week’s Council meeting.

The Together Tweed Mayoral Flood Appeal 2022 seeks to raise much-needed funds to offer affected Tweed communities immediate help, support recovery efforts and resilience to future flood events and contribute to addressing significant long-term issues such as housing.

The February 2022 flood was the biggest in the Tweed’s recorded history. Many areas experienced unprecedented river levels and the damage bill is likely to double that of the devastating 2017 flood event.

While local residents and businesses may be eligible for assistance from the Federal and NSW Governments’ Natural Disaster Declarations, many people in the Tweed have been significantly affected by this flood event and will require extensive support to get back on their feet.

Consistent with the Council resolution, the Mayoral Appeal will support:

• Murwillumbah Community Centre – contribute towards the purchase of a replacement community bus.

• Communication solutions for isolated communities – purchase of improved communications equipment to help isolated communities stay connected in times of crisis.

Once these needs are met, the balance of the funds collected through the Mayoral Flood Appeal will be disbursed equally among the following organisations:

• The Family Centre – Locals Helping Locals Flood Appeal The Locals Helping Locals Flood Appeal will distribute funds raised directly to children, families and young people impacted by the floods in the Tweed Shire.

• Northern Rivers Community Foundation (NRCF) – Resilience and Regeneration FundThe Resilience and Regeneration Fund will award grants to help community organisations work in the early, medium and long-term recovery phases in affected communities in the Tweed Shire, following the emergency relief effort.

• NSW State Emergency Service (SES) – Local units in the Tweed Shire

  Support for local units to recruit, train and develop volunteers to effectively act and respond to protect people in the Tweed from dangers to their safety and their health and property from destruction or damage in future emergencies.

“The Tweed has a long history of coming together in times of adversity and I know the community are coming together now to support each other in the wake of this devastating flood,” Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry said.

“They have rescued their neighbours and given them a safe place to stay, they are lending a hand clearing out and cleaning, they are volunteering their time, donating goods and offering a shoulder to cry on.

“Many locals, as well as friends and family members from across the country and the world, are looking for ways to help and support flood-affected communities here in the Tweed.”

The local organisations receiving the funds raised from the Mayoral flood appeal will support affected communities in the Tweed today, tomorrow and into the future.

To help our flood-affected community, please donate to the Together Tweed Mayoral Flood Appeal 2022 by direct bank transfer.

The bank details are:

Name: TSC Mayors Appeal Fund

BSB: 062-580

Account: 10370281

Recipient organisations will be periodically reviewed to ensure they continue to reflect the needs of affected communities and additional recipients meeting the appeal’s objectives may be added at a later date. In making a donation, you acknowledge that Council retains full discretion as to how any and all donated funds are used, which may include distributing funds to other organisations or persons for those organisations to use and distribute as they determine.