Message from the Mayor – Flood recovery

Published on 23 May 2025

I want to assure people that while you may not have heard much from Council over the last few days while the Police have been undertaking all of the emergency work, staff and I have been working to ensure that the necessary arrangements are in place for the Recovery phase.

Our community is going to need a lot of help and support to recover from this devastating event, and we are working closely with all Recovery agencies to get assistance as quickly as possible.

Staff have been working with the Reconstruction Authority to ensure they have their staff on the ground as soon as possible. When we have further details of the location and timing on this, we will get it out to the community

Residents and businesses are reminded that if they are insured, they should speak to their insurer first to find out exactly what their policy covers, and how their insurer wants them to dispose of flood damaged items. As a minimum residents and business owners should photograph all flood waste before it is removed from their premises.

If you have issues with your insurer, get in contact with the Insurance Council of Australia at www.insurancecouncil.com.au who can help resolve issues.

For residents and business owners a free kerbside collection for flood waste will be undertaken however we do expect it to be some time before we can get to everyone.

The waste should be sorted into piles on the kerb into the following categories - green waste, whitegoods, metal, food and household chemicals.  To facilitate the effective and efficient removal of waste, Council will set up a temporary waste transfer site at Urara Lane, Taree with waste then transferred away by semi-trailer.

Residents and business owners can also take flood waste to the Bucketts Way and Gloucester Waste Management Facilities free of charge for the next two weeks.

Council will also be working with other agencies to clean up central business districts across the region.

These clean ups will then expand into residential and rural areas.

The community can access recovery information via the Recovery Hub on Council’s website.

Council’s kerbside collection will continue as normal for non-flood effected areas.

In flood effected areas we will try to catch up missed collections over the coming days. For all flood recovery updates, keep an eye on Council’s flood recovery hub at www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au which has contact details for all recovery services. For road updates, head to www.livetraffic.com.au.

Council will also be working with authorities to get assessments undertaken of residential, commercial and industrial premises undertaken.

From Monday the community will be able to call Council on 7955 7777 to report waste that needs collection or other issues.

The Recovery Centre when established by the NSW Reconstruction Authority will provide a face-to-face environment for support for the community.