More than $10 million in Port Stephens Council funds will be directed towards repairing infrastructure damage caused by the severe weather event in March.
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Councillors approved $7m in natural disaster repairs at the June 13 meeting of council which will see $1.8m directed towards repairing the Foreshore Drive culvert and $3.5m to fixing damage caused by a number of landslips across the Port.
Drainage works, road and emergency works plus flood pumps are also priority areas outlined in the council's natural disaster projects list.
A further $3m will be spent on road rehabilitation works.
"During the disaster, we undertook immediate emergency works to repair assets and bring them back to an acceptable standard," the council's acting general manager, Greg Kable, said.
"We know there's still a lot of works to be done and we're in the process of pricing these to claim natural disaster funding.
"We'll now look at our existing program of major projects to prioritise these repairs so that we can get our assets back to a safe and reliable standard for our community."
While the entire Port was soaked during the week-long downpour, the Tomaree Peninsula was hit hardest March 17-19.
The rainfall was more than what is typical of a 0.5 per cent annual exceedance probability, which is what becomes known as a one-in-100-year event when it occurs.
A week of heavy rain following a wet summer saturated the ground across the Port and caused widespread drainage and infrastructure issues.
Following record-breaking rainfall, Port Stephens was one of 34 NSW council areas declared a natural disaster area.
This declaration has allowed the council to seek contributions from the NSW Government to repair critical assets like roads, drains and footpaths.
According to a council report prepared for the July 13 meeting to outline the natural disaster projects, the council spent $990,000 on emergency works immediately following the flooding event.
"This amount is like an insurance premium that must first be spent before any claims can be made. Council is claiming 100 per cent of future repair costs, however, confirmation of the NSW Government's contribution has not yet been finalised. Council has sufficient cash flow to have the works completed and then seek reimbursement," the report states.
The emergency repairs that have been completed include fixing damage to Kallaroo Road and Corlette Point Road and the pumps at Anna Bay and Stockton Ponds.
- ALSO READ: Potholes plague the Port's roads
"Drainage works are also underway at Ajax and Achilles streets in Nelson Bay," Mr Kable said, adding that Foreshore Drive is a priority and a fix is on the way.
"We've ordered a replacement structure that will allow for cars, bikes and pedestrians," he said.
"We're also out for tender for the installation of the structure, with the aim to have works completed by the end of 2021."
Assessments on the landslips in Marine Drive, Fingal Bay and two others in Teramby Road, Nelson Bay (near Nelson Bay Fish Market and Bay Harbour Cafe) have progressed, Mr Kable said.
"Our team has undertaken a number of surveys and assessments at these land slips - we've now developed a concept for immediate and long-term fixes for these sites," he said.
"Our number one priority is the slip at the end of Teramby Road, and we're working closely with the business owner who's been affected since the storm first hit."
Also at the July 13 meeting, councillors supported a Mayoral Minute to increase this year's road rehabilitation budget by $3m in acknowledgment of the Port's "unprecedented rainfall events and impacts this has had on the road network".
"Our roads were already in need of repair and the March disaster caused further widespread damage across Port Stephens and affected many people - some are still recovering months later and I really feel for them," Mayor Ryan Palmer said.
"With this decision our crews have the funding they need to get on with the job of fixing the paths, roads and drainage to the level our community expect."
The budget increase it to be "funded by current property sales", the council said.
Funds will be allocated to:
- Foreshore Drive culvert: $1.8 million
- Landslips: $3.5 million
- Pipe drainage works: $200,000
- Road pavement works: $200,000
- Flood pumps: $400,000
- Emergency works $990,000 - about one third of this is not claimable under natural disaster criteria however Port Stephens Council is claiming 100 per cent of future repair costs
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