Overview

• Seventy Australian Defence Force personnel have been dispatched to assist with debris clearance, welfare checks and the re-establishment of critical infrastructure on the Mid North Coast.
• State Emergency Service teams have inspected over 7,300 dwellings and declared nearly 800 uninhabitable, with that tally expected to rise as clean-up efforts continue.
• Insurers have logged close to 4,900 claims, and the dairy sector faces heavy losses after livestock were swept away or killed by floodwaters.
• Two men have been arrested on looting charges, spurring police to increase patrols and warn that theft from vulnerable flood victims will not be tolerated.
• A one-off disaster payment of A$1,000 per adult (A$400 per child) begins Wednesday, complemented by an expanded 13-week income support allowance for those unable to work.