Mayoral Column - 20 July 2022

Published on 20 July 2022

It has been a tough few weeks for many residents across the Cessnock Local Government Area, and it is turning out to be another tough year with two major flooding events occurring just four months apart.

This is the first time Cessnock local government area has had two natural disaster declarations so close together. The impact on our community, road network and infrastructure has been devastating.

Council has responded with crews working around the clock throughout the disaster to manage road closures, assess the damage, and make urgent repairs. There have been more than 50 road closures during this flood event, and restoring our road network as quickly as possible has been a top priority to ensure the safety of our residents.

While Council is doing all that it can with the resources it has, the reality is that due to the scale of this year’s flooding disasters we require support from both the State and Federal Governments. Cessnock Local Government Area is not alone in this situation, which is why the Mayors of the Hunter have called on State and Federal Governments to provide more assistance to our region to address the urgent infrastructure repairs needed.

This assistance needs to go beyond the standard grants that are available. We will keep the community updated on the outcome of this request and we ask for your patience as we continue to do the best we can to manage the backlog of road repairs.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has played a part in this disaster so far. Our local SES, VRA Rescue Squad, emergency services, police and volunteers have done a fantastic job as always to support our community when they need it most. I would also like to thank Council crews and staff who have braved the weather to assess local roads, provide timely updates, and provided fantastic customer service. It has also been wonderful to see residents come together to support each other - we are a resilient community and will come back from this stronger than ever.

More information about this flood event, including road closures, flood recovery assistance, and the waiving of waste fees can be found on Council’s website.