People affected by the Sampson Flat bushfire in South Australia in January 2015 only have a limited time left to lodge a claim for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (DRP) and the Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA).
Department of Human Services General Manager Hank Jongen said claims for DRP and DRA for the bushfire will close on 6 July 2015 and affected residents are encouraged to finalise any outstanding claims before the deadline.
“Some residents may have delayed claiming the payment while they focused their efforts on the clean-up and recovery, but any outstanding applications must be made now ,’’ Mr Jongen said.
“The one-off DRP of $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for each eligible child under the age of 16 is available to anyone who was adversely affected by the bushfire and meets the criteria.
“The DRA is available to assist eligible individuals including employees, primary producers and sole traders who experienced a loss of income as a direct result of the bushfire, for a maximum of 13 weeks.
“More than 380 claims have been granted for the DRP and DRA to residents affected by the Sampson Flat bushfire, worth over $415,000.”
Department of Human Services Call Centre Manager Patrick Moylan said local staff raised much needed funds in recognition of the enormous efforts of the Country Fire Service (CFS) in fighting the bushfire.
“We raised almost $1,500 in only a matter of weeks for the CFS team in Kersbrook, who were not only fighting the fire, but were also directly affected themselves,” Mr Moylan said.
“We were fortunate enough to be invited to the CFS depot to see how our donation assisted to purchase two new barbeques – something they lost when the fires struck.
“We were told the barbeques will be used for community events and in cases of an emergency, they will be used to provide food to those who have been displaced or are in need.
“Our staff were so overwhelmed by the bravery of the volunteers and staff at the CFS in Kersbrook they were happy to help in some way after they gave so much to the local community.”
To lodge a claim, or for more information, visit humanservices.gov.au/disaster or phone the Australian Government Emergency Information line on 180 22 66.
