Natural disaster assistance will be made available to help communities in south-east Tasmania recover from the bushfires, the federal government announced today.
The assistance will be available in coming days in the Sorell and Tasman Council areas while ``the needs of other areas are being closely monitored''.
A range of assistance grants are in the process of being made available through the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services.
They include:
* Emergency Assistance Grants to meet the immediate needs of individuals/families ($200 per adult, $100 per child, maximum of $750 per family)
* Temporary living grants of up to $8,875 (over a maximum period of 6 months) to assist with living expenses
* Essential household goods grants of up to $5,600 per household (plus $500 per additional household member up to a maximum of $8,875) for costs not covered by insurance, to assist with the replacement of essential household items
* Repair/replacement grants of up to $8,875 to assist with the re-establishment of the principal place of residence.
Information on the range of assistance that is available can be found at www.disasterassist.gov.au or at www.dhhs.tas.gov.au