Insurance companies will be put on notice about their responsibilities in the wake of severe flooding at Gunning.
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Hume MP Angus Taylor made the promise at a sometimes heated community meeting in the town on Friday.
Up to 80mm sent water gushing into the main street on Monday night, flooding businesses and houses and sparking a major emergency and community response.
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On Friday, items were piled up on Yass Street, awaiting trips to the tip, kept open up for the purpose.
"We need recovery money fast, not in three months," former Gunning Shire councillor, Michael Coley told The Post.
The community gathered in the street for a meeting with Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman, Mr Taylor, Upper Lachlan Shire Council Mayor Pam Kensit and deputy, Mandy McDonald. Resilience NSW representatives and the SES also attended.
![Yass Street, Gunning, outside the Telegraph Hotel turned into a lake on Monday night. Picture by Sue Smith. Yass Street, Gunning, outside the Telegraph Hotel turned into a lake on Monday night. Picture by Sue Smith.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/8cf52406-95c8-44d5-be92-d6a310208b30.jpg/r0_199_1423_1794_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Some levelled abuse at the council over its response on Monday night and swore at the mayor.
"Where was all the equipment and help?...You haven't done a...thing," one man yelled.
"Who is your LEMO (Local Emergency Management Officer)?" another asked.
Cr Kensit said the council had been out to the town each day since and was doing everything it could to help those impacted.
Cr Lauren Woodbridge, from Gunning, was dining in the Telegraph Hotel with her family on Monday night when the water poured in from the back. She helped sandbagging into early Tuesday morning and has since assisted the council response.
"These insurance companies need to pull their head out of their (backsides)," she said.
"A lot are quibbling about whether it was a storm or a flood. I can say for sure, given its speed, it was a storm...If insurance companies don't play ball, our town will close down."
![Upper Lachlan Shire council staff and Cr Lauren Woodbridge helped load damaged items to be taken to the tip. Picture by Louise Thrower. Upper Lachlan Shire council staff and Cr Lauren Woodbridge helped load damaged items to be taken to the tip. Picture by Louise Thrower.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/4b46a905-75ad-49ba-a0b8-7bc61a56ab7a.JPG/r0_0_4288_2782_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Some 12 businesses were affected but not all are striking insurance problems. The Gunning Lions Club and the town's Development Association has each given $500 to every business and property affected.
Mr Taylor said he would step in if any insurance company made life difficult.
"There is always a debate about flood versus storm. Contracts make that distinction but we have to step above that and make sure insurance companies are being reasonable and decent," he said.
"I've picked up the phone before and I'll do it again and I'll be talking to the Insurance Council of Australia that oversees the industry. We'll be doing everything we can to advocate for business."
Disaster assistance will flow for the Upper Lachlan Shire for the most recent flooding. A spokesperson for state minister for flood recovery, Steph Cooke, confirmed this would automatically roll on from the last disaster declaration in September.
The assistance may include:
- Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply);
- Support for the council to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets;
- Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations; and
- Freight subsidies for primary producers.
Goulburn MP and local government minister, Wendy Tuckerman, said she would work with the council on its practical response. The disaster assistance was central but further assistance could be available once a full assessment was completed.
"Going forward it is about planning and what we can do to prevent this situation," she said.
"I'm disappointed people had bugbears with the council and we need to address those things. I know the mayor understands that."
![Hume MP Angus Taylor says insurance companies must step up to the plate for Gunning properties damaged in the recent heavy rain. Picture by Louise Thrower. Hume MP Angus Taylor says insurance companies must step up to the plate for Gunning properties damaged in the recent heavy rain. Picture by Louise Thrower.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/9ca9a426-157a-4de0-afd5-4e8f6f12f089.JPG/r0_0_3497_2773_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
At the meeting, some community members blamed the council for "a lack of maintenance." "Poor" stormwater drainage and a "choked up" Meadow Creek, behind the main street, had exacerbated the problem, they said.
Ms Tuckerman said the state's $200 million Betterment Fund was designed to ensure infrastructure was 'built back better.'
She told The Post it was critical for councils to have emergency management plans in place and to communicate these with their communities.
Resilience NSW staff will also set up at a central location, possibly Gunning hall, to help people access grants and coordinate the recovery. They also undertake engineering assessments of properties and assist the clean-up.
Deputy state recovery controller, Dominic Lane, said the flooding was "devastating" for the small community.
"Our job is to provide as much support as we can to get the community back on its feet," he said.
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