NSW Severe Weather and Storms from 15 January 2025
The Australian and NSW Governments have confirmed a Natural Disaster Declaration (AGRN 1170) for select local government areas affected by storms from 15 January 2025. This page lists the available support to residents, businesses and primary producers impacted by the storms.
Natural disaster declaration
The following local government areas are included in the Natural disaster declaration (ARGN 1170):
Blacktown
Central Coast
Cessnock
Dungog
Hawkesbury
Hornsby
Ku-ring-gai
Lake Macquarie
Maitland
Mid Coast
Newcastle
Northern Beaches
Port Stephens
Singleton
Snowy Valleys
Upper Hunter
Wagga Wagga
Wingecarribee
Assistance available
The following assistance is available for areas included in the declaration.
Immediate assistance
Immediate assistance for emergency accommodation may also be available for residents impacted by the disaster – for more information call Service NSW on 13 77 88.
Disaster Relief Grant
If you are a low-income, uninsured resident and have lost essential household items or your home needs structural repairs because of the disaster, you may be eligible to apply.
Concessional loans for primary producers and small businesses
If you are a primary producer or a small business owner, you may be eligible to apply for concessional loans of up to $130,000.
Transport subsidies for primary producers and small businesses
If you are a primary producer or a small business owner, you may be eligible to apply for a transport subsidy of up to $15,000.
Concessional loans for not-for-profit organisations
For not-for-profit organisations, you may be eligible for a concessional loan of up to $25,000.
Disaster Recovery Map
You can find localised information from your council about disaster recovery, road closures, hazard alerts, waste removal and development application processes in your immediate area by visiting the Disaster Recovery Map below.
Further support and useful information
Waste Levy Exemption
Residents in many storm affected areas in NSW can dispose of damaged items and storm debris at the tip without paying the waste levy. Check with your council for more information.
Mental Health Support
Living through a natural disaster can take a toll on your mental health and wellbeing. Further information including support services are available at managing your mental health during and after a natural disaster.
Cleaning mould from your home
Further information about mould and how to remove it from your home can be found here at NSW Health.
Natural Disaster Declaration FAQs
Recovery from disasters is a shared responsibility for individuals, households, businesses and communities, as well as for all levels of government. A key step in determining government assistance to be provided is the declaration of a natural disaster.
A Natural Disaster Declaration (NDD) is made by the NSW Government, via the Minister for Emergency Services, when a natural disaster event has occurred, and it is expected that the event will qualify as an “eligible disaster” under national Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). The making of an NDD enables government-funded assistance measures to be activated under the DRFA.
The DRFA is the mechanism through which the Australian Government supports states and territories and shares the costs of providing assistance to disaster affected communities. It helps alleviate the financial burden on states and territories and supports the provision of urgent financial assistance to communities.
Not every severe weather event will result in an NDD. The scale of the event, the resources required to respond to it and other factors need to be taken into consideration, in accordance with criteria set out in the DRFA. More information on this is set out below.
The types of measures able to be activated once an NDD is made are determined by the NSW Government and set out in relevant guidelines. These are explained below and can include financial assistance to individuals, businesses, and primary producers; and to councils and other relevant agencies to assist with the cost of repairing or restoring essential public assets such as transport infrastructure.
The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) coordinates the NDD process following a severe weather event, commencing with the collation and assessment of available information to ascertain if an NDD will be made.
The NSW Government provides a range of financial and non-financial support to assist communities recover from the impacts of disasters in accordance with the NSW Disaster Assistance Guidelines 2021 (DAG) (PDF 871.81KB), noting that disaster assistance measures are generally only activated under the DRFA once a natural disaster has been declared.
Following a severe weather event, the RA may receive a request for a NDD to be made. This request will generally come from a local council, combat agency (such as the SES or RFS) or other government agency with knowledge of the event and the damage sustained. RA collates and analyses information from multiple sources to ascertain that the disaster is of a scale that warrants the making of an NDD.
Based on this analysis, the RA advises the NSW Government, through the Minister for Emergency Services, and in consultation with the Australian Government, if a natural disaster event should be declared. NSW must notify the Commonwealth within three months of the event that an NDD will be made.
All NDDs are listed on the NSW Government’s NDD webpage as well as the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website. Both provide detailed information including relief measures activated and corresponding Australian Government Reference Numbers (AGRN).
An NDD is not required for response activities (such as combat agencies undertaking evacuation, firefighting, or rescue activities, and/or responding to requests for help from members of the public to protect lives and property, etc.) to commence.
A natural disaster does not have to be declared for personal insurance claims to be submitted.
A natural disaster is one, or a combination of the following rapid onset events:
- Bushfire
- Flood
- Storm
- Storm surge
- Landslide
- Cyclone
- Earthquake
- Tsunami
- Tornado
- Meteorite strike
No, only the events that meet the criteria set out in the DRFA will be recommended for declaration as a natural disaster. Not every weather event will meet the threshold or will warrant an NDD.
An NDD can only be made when a natural disaster meets the following criteria:
A natural disaster has occurred involving one or more of the events listed above.
A coordinated multi-agency response was required.
- This can be demonstrated by (but not limited to) any of the following: emergency services and council responding simultaneously; out-of-area combat agency units being mobilised to support local combat agencies; Local, District or State Emergency Management Committees being convened; Local, District or State Emergency Operations Centres being activated; evacuations or resupply operations being conducted.
State expenditure is expected to exceed the small disaster criterion of $240,000.
- The $240,000 small disaster criterion is applied to the expenditure for the whole disaster event, whether it is within one local government area or multiple government areas and must relate to additional costs that would not otherwise have been incurred by council, state agencies or approved non-government organisations.
Refer to the NEMA DRFA Factsheet for further information.
In addition, councils, combat agencies or other relevant government agencies must advise the RA of their intent to submit an NDD application within three (3) months from the eligible disaster occurring.
The provision of information describing specific impacts arising from the event is a key part of the NDD process.
The first step is completion of the Natural Disaster Assessment Form which captures a preliminary estimate of damage to essential public assets and other costs.
The form can be downloaded from the NSW Government website, or requested from the RA via naturaldisasters@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au
In certain circumstances, where it is clear that the natural disaster criteria will be met because of the scale of the event, the RA may recommend an NDD prior to receiving damage estimates. Assessment forms must still be completed and sent to the RA as part of record keeping practices for each NDD application.
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) should use the bespoke Assessment form that has been tailored to the specific needs of the RFS.
The Assessment Form is divided into three parts:
Part A – Natural Disaster Details – what occurred.
Part B – Acknowledgement by the Council General Manager that the information provided is true and correct.
Part C – Schedule of Damage relating to Essential Public Assets and estimated costs.
Stage 1: RA monitors weather events. The RA monitors weather events and their impacts on communities and infrastructure.
Stage 2: RA collects impact information. If the RA is asked to determine if a weather event might meet the Natural Disaster Declaration criteria, it will collate impact and damage information from a wide range of sources. If applicable, this includes seeking information via the Natural Disaster Assessment Form.
Where councils are submitting the assessment, it is recommended they work with their respective RA Regional Delivery team in the first instance when collating information.
Stage 3: RA analyses natural disaster impact. The RA analyses the information, including but not limited to situation reports from combat agency, other emergency services and functional areas, local council impacts, media coverage, information from EOCs and impact assessment data when available.
Stage 4: RA advises NSW Government and Commonwealth. If all criteria are met, the RA will recommend to the NSW Government and the Commonwealth that a Natural Disaster Declaration should be made.
Stage 5: Natural Disaster Declaration. Entities are informed when a Natural Disaster Declaration is made. All declarations are listed at: www.nsw.gov.au/emergency/recovery/natural-disaster-declarations
Disaster Assistance Guidelines
The NSW Government provides a range of financial and non‐financial assistance measures to support relief and recovery from disasters. These include assistance for Individuals and Households, Local Government, Non-Profit Organisations, Primary Producers and Small Business. The suite of assistance measures is referred to as the NSW State Assistance Measures which are described within the NSW Disaster Assistance Guidelines (NSW DAG).
Assistance provided through the NSW DAG is supported by the Commonwealth Government via the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018 (DRFA), which provides for partial reimbursement for specific types of state disaster assistance spending.
Following a Natural Disaster Declaration, a range of standard assistance measures described in the Guidelines can become available to communities and individuals impacted by the event.
The following information serves as a quick reference guide to various assistance measures that may be available to the community, depending on the scale of the disaster and eligibility requirements.
It also highlights that, for very severe or catastrophic disasters or disasters that give rise to exceptional circumstances, additional assistance measures may be provided. This is subject to agreement between and approval by the NSW Premier and Australian Prime Minister, as set out in the DRFA.
Assistance to Households and Individuals
The NSW Reconstruction Authority can provide targeted assistance to individuals and households experiencing hardship following a disaster. This can include Disaster Relief Grants as outlined below:
Disaster Relief Grants
Low-income, uninsured households, whose home and/or essential household items were damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, may be eligible for a Disaster Relief Grant.
The grant helps with the cost of:
- replacing essential household items
- undertaking essential structural repairs, or rebuilds for properties that are unable to be lived in, to return the home to a basic, safe and habitable standard.
To be eligible to apply:
- the applicant must be the owner of, or a tenant that lives in (or lived in at the time of the disaster), a property that was damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster
- the damaged property must be the applicant’s principal place of residence
- the applicant must be unable to claim costs under an insurance policy
- it must be less than 6 months since the disaster (applications received after this time may be accepted in exceptional circumstances)
- the applicant must be low-income and few realisable assets.
Applications will be deemed ineligible if:
- the applicant is not on a low income
- damage to the house or ruined household items are able to be claimed under insurance
- the damaged home is an investment property and not the principal place of residence
- lack of maintenance has caused the damage
- the damage is minor and repairs are not essential to live in the property.
Those interested in applying can call 13 77 88. They will be referred to the NSW Reconstruction Authority to assess eligibility before submitting an application.
Further information can be obtained by reading the Disaster Relief Grant Guidelines.
Additional relief and recovery assistance for households and individuals
Additional relief and recovery assistance measures when an NDD has been declared may include emergency food, clothing or temporary accommodation, repair or replacement of essential items of furniture and personal effects, essential repairs to housing and debris removal to make safe and habitable.
Please refer to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018 for further information.
Assistance to Councils
Funding assistance may be available to local councils for restoration of essential public assets such as roads, bridges and key public infrastructure damaged by declared disasters.
This can include emergency works, such as clean up, debris removal and other urgent activities to temporarily restore an essential public asset to an acceptable working order.
For the repair or restoration of essential public assets damaged during a natural disaster event, local councils work with government agencies including the RA, NSW Public Works and Transport for NSW to request funding and submit expenditure claims for processing and approval.
Councils may claim for repair work to damaged essential public assets through these delivery agencies. The agencies process the claim and reimburse eligible expenditure directly to the Council. Delivery agencies then seek reimbursement from the RA.
The NSW Government has implemented a prepayment funding model for local councils needing to undertake repair and reconstruction of transport and other public infrastructure following a natural disaster. This is based on a tri-partite agreement governance mode and is now in place with 15 councils across the state.
The model is designed to accelerate the disbursement of funds to Councils impacted by compounding natural disasters, mitigate cashflow constraints, and ensure that essential public asset reconstruction programs proceed at a faster rate.
Eligibility criteria and evidence requirements concerning the repair and restoration of essential public assets are outlined in detail in the NSW Natural Disaster Essential Public Asset Restoration Guidelines.
Other council costs incurred as a result of the disaster that can be reimbursed under the DRFA following an NDD are only those that would otherwise not have been incurred except for the disaster meaning ongoing staff costs, administrative costs or overheads are not able to be claimed.
Assistance to Small Business, Primary Producers and Not for Profit Organisations
Concessional fixed rate loans to a maximum of $130,000 may be provided to small businesses, primary producers (including subsidies for transport of donated fodder) and not for profit organisations with special eligibility criteria being applied.
Noting that support provided in one event (e.g. grants for small business) will not necessarily be provided for another event even if businesses can demonstrate they were impacted to the same degree. This is because the totality of the event is considered and needs to be assessed as extraordinary or exceptional.
Additional measures for severe or catastrophic disasters and/or where there are exceptional circumstances
For severe or catastrophic disasters, or where the disaster gives rise to exceptional circumstances, additional measures over and above standard measures can be activated. These require a written request and supporting evidence provided by the NSW Premier to the Australian Prime Minister, for consideration and approval. These additional measures can include:
- Recovery grants for small businesses and not-for-profit organisations where the business sector is severely affected and the community risks losing essential businesses. Grants are aimed at covering the cost of clean-up and reinstatement, but not at providing compensation for losses.
- Recovery grants for primary producers where the farming sector is severely affected, with threats to viability and disruption of production likely to extend beyond the current season. Grants are aimed at covering the cost of clean-up and reinstatement, but not at providing compensation for losses.
- A community recovery fund in circumstances where the community is severely affected and needs to restore social networks, community functioning and community facilities. Expenditure from the fund is aimed at community recovery, community development and community capacity building, and is administered by the state government in close collaboration with local government and other community bodies.
- Other measures can include initiatives such as temporary housing programs, home buyback or relocation programs, mental health programs or initiatives to assist businesses and rebuild local economies, depending on the nature and scale of disaster impacts and the approval of the Prime Minister.
The RA is responsible for coordinating disaster recovery operations in NSW which includes the provision of financial and non-financial support. Councils and other agencies seeking assistance, an NDD or further information should contact their RA Regional Delivery contact or the RA via email at naturaldisasters@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au