SEQ Flooding update 7 March

With the severe weather giving us a reprieve today, I am sure momentum is starting to gather, if it hasn't already, around recovery efforts across the flood affected areas. 

As previously stated, your safety is most important as are your personal circumstances, and when you are ready to move forward there will be support available to get you through.

To assist you in locating relevant information that will help with clean-up recovery, we advise you visit the below sites for advice on next steps when returning to your venues and facilities. 

• The Queensland Building and Construction Commission has simple checklists to help you return to affected buildings safely and rebuild after a flood.
• Worksafe Queensland provides additional information on how to keep safe during clean-up efforts. 
• The Queensland Government disasters and emergencies webiste. 
• Contact your local council about waste removal services and if you lease your facility or venue to determine any insurance cover and how to progress a claim. 
• Queensland Health provide public health advice and fact sheets for disaster managment. 
• Fair Trading may be able to replace lost or destroyed licences and certificates for not-for-profit groups. 

Funding support

You would be aware of the Level 1 funding of up to $5,000 available to eligible not-for-profit clubs and organisations through the Sport and Recreation Disaster Recovery Program (SRDRP). This funding can be used to replace damaged equipment, buy tools and cleaning supplies, hire machinery or pay insurance excess. 

Further funding support is coming following the announcement of jointly funding Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. This includes funding od up to $20,000 for eligible sporting and community clubs and organisations, which will be administered by STIS to support clean up, repair or replacement of damaged or lost equipment. We understand there is great interest in this program, more information is coming soon and will be published online via the SRDRP page when available. 

Some sport and recreation clubs will qualify for Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) funding of up to $50,000 targeted at small business and not-for-profit organisations. For eligible organisations, this support can assist with clean-up, repair or replacement of damaged infrastructure or equipment and other costs associated with the recovery process. For information on eligibility and how to apply visit the Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants website. 

Being prepared

It is important to gather as much information as possible on your circumstances so that you are ready to apply accordingly. Here are some important thigns to consider:

• Your insurance status, level of cover and requirements.
• Any obvious safety issues and action taken.
• The level of impact sustained to the venue, facility or equipment (minimal, moderate or severe).
• What evidence you can present to support claims of damage sustained (photos, documents).
• Can you operate? What needs to be fixed or replaced so that activities can resume.

Industry support

In working with our State Level Organisations and Industry Peak Bodies, we are please to advise our involvement in the upcoming webinar:

• Active Queenslanders Industry Alliance (AQIA) are hosting a Flood Recovery Webinar on Tuesday, 8 March from 6:30pm. Registrations are available online.

While we understan this recovery effort will take time and your first priority are your own homes and businesses, our team will be on the ground next week in collaboration with Councils for those clubs ready to move forward to assist with initial assessments and providing technical support. 

We will work through this methodically but simply, to ensure that we can assist in getting money flowing to clubs and organisations as soon as possible and get everyone back playing and enjoying activities safely.