Steve Krieg, Donna Walker beg Scott Morrison to provide income support

The cost of flood damage on the Northern Rivers is edging towards $1 billion as residents plead with the federal government to dig into the Emergency Response Fund.

Northern Rivers residents are pleading with the federal government to dip into its $4.8 billion Emergency Response Fund so families don’t go broke.

Anxiety and frustration is growing among residents as they fear the government won’t step up to help them financially recover in the long term.

The concerns come as Lismore City Council general manager John Walker confirmed the cost of repairs for the area would top $500 million while Richmond Valley’s flood bill is more than $150 million.

Donna Walker is living in a rented motorhome in Casino after she lost her North Lismore house during the floods.

Donna Walker lost her North Lismore home during the floods and is calling on Scott Morrison to unleash the emergency response fund to give people certainty.

Mrs Walker runs Lismore Regional Flood Community, an online group that has directed thousands of people to services, food and supplies in the past two weeks.

She has had concerns raised in her community group about long term support.

She said two more disaster relief payments weren’t going to cut it for people who had been left with nothing.

Residents from Lismore, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley council areas are eligible for $1000 payments on March 15 and March 22.

Donna Walker's home in North Lismore was totalled by flood waters.

While she was thankful for the immediate financial support, she said the government would have to dip into its emergency response fund in the longer term.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated the fund would be used in response to the floods but commitments were yet to be made.

“What are they waiting for?” Ms Walker said.

“Are they waiting for another disaster or a worse one? They are letting us down.”

Donna Walker collected supplies for friends who lost everything from The Lifeline Centre in South Lismore.

So far less than 10 per cent of the emergency funding has been used since it was created after the 2020 bushfires.

Mrs Walker said she had run herself ragged providing support to people of the community after going through tragedy in losing her home as well as currently being without her son who is in a Covid-19 ward in Casino.

Lismore City Council Mayor Steve Krieg has also called for the government to provide income support for up to 12 months.

“They (the government) were very quick to lock down businesses and offer income support and there seemed to be an indefinite supply of money,” he told the ABC.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg wants the federal government to step up and support the community for the long term

“This situation I put into the same category, we’ve been promised three weeks, we’re going to be struggling for six to 12 months at the very minimum.”

Meanwhile as almost $30 million of flood payments have hit Lismore, Clarence Valley and Richmond Valley residents, residents of Ballina, Kyogle, Tweed and Byron shire are going without.

The recovery agency is undergoing assessments of the local government areas to see if they are eligible for extra funding but a decision is yet to be made.

When asked why assessments of the other areas had not been completed, the National Recovery and Resilience Agency said they were still “considering further impact data being captured by the New South Wales Government”.

They also said the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment, the one-off $1000 payment, was “already available” to those communities.

The Prime Minister’s office has been contacted for comment on how the Emergency Response Fund would be used and if funds had been allocated to any flood recovery project.