After the storm: Read the latest government updates below

1300+ requests for cleanups and counting

Clean-up efforts continue to be a matter of urgent priority as Wollongong City Council and Remondis work in partnership to offer one free additional household clean-up to flood impacted residents.

To date, Council has received over 1300 requests for additional, on-call household cleanups from flood affected residents. They've completed more than 780 of these residential cleanups and are working their way through the remainder of the bookings. This mammoth effort has seen more than 2600 tonnes of additional flood waste enter landfill.

To achieve this, Council have been working Monday to Sunday to meet the demand for additional, on-call household cleanups for flood-impacted residents.

With demand for the additional collection service for flood waste easing, bookings for the free additional service will end 5pm, Friday 19 April. Council will not be taking any new bookings for free additional waste collections after this date. Residents not impacted by floods can continue to book their standard on-call household cleanups (up to 2 per year) as usual, through the Wollongong Waste website and App.

With fewer visits to Whytes Gully tip (the Wollongong Waste and Resource Recovery Park) occurring the fee waiver for flood affected general waste and green waste will end 4pm Sunday 21 April. From Monday, Council’s normal fees will be applied for flood affected waste minus the NSW Government EPA Waste Levy.

During the next few weeks, Council will continue to support flood impacted residents on a case-by-case basis. Flood impacted residents who need additional support should contact Council’s Customer Service team on (02) 4227 7111 and we’ll take into account your individual need as we assess your request.

Talk to council at Helensburgh and Dapto

Wollongong City Council announced it will have on-site Customer Service staff available to provide face-to-face advice to community members on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week at Helensburgh Library and at Dapto Ribbonwood Centre. This is in addition to Council’s presence at the Recovery Assistance Centres and through their Customer Service number (02) 4227 7111.

Expect delays on road and rail

As school holidays kick off today, families gearing up for road trip getaways are being reminded to allow extra travel time and review their routes before heading off in the wake of severe weather across the state last week.

In the Illawarra, a single lane of Lawrence Hargrave Drive has reopened at Coalcliff after multiple landslides, with stop/slow traffic control in place.

For those using public transport, passengers are reminded that buses continue to replace South Coast Line trains between Kiama and Bomaderry. Trains on the rest of the South Coast Line are running to a reduced timetable between Sydney and Kiama and also between Wollongong and Port Kembla. 

Windang playground removed

Wollongong City Council has removed a playground in the lake foreshore area today, Friday 12 April, due to significant safety concerns.

While there was an underlying issue with erosion along the shoreline near the playground, there has been a significant and rapid escalation in erosion at the site since last weekend’s flood event.

More than a metre of the shoreline has been washed away since the City of Wollongong was declared a natural disaster area last weekend, leaving the playground’s soft fall base dangling into the lake.

Council staff have been on site twice daily across the week to monitor the erosion. The decision was made to carefully remove the playground to address urgent public safety concerns, and to prevent the materials from washing into the lake or damaging the sensitive area.

Where to take flood waste in Shellharbour

Shellharbour residents who have suffered flood damage to their property on Saturday can dispose of their flood-damaged waste free of charge at Dunmore Waste Disposal Depot during opening days and times. The waiver covers flood-damaged household items including furniture, vegetation, debris and other flood-related products. It does not apply to recyclable materials. 

What's the damage

Wollongong City Council estimates that it will take about three months before we can get a complete picture of the impact of this rain event from an environmental and physical assets point of view.

Since Saturday morning, Council’s Customer Service team have taken over 2450 total calls, a 34% increase on the usual number they'd receive in the same period.

Wollongong City Council General Manager Greg Doyle said that residents continue to call Council for advice and information on post-flood clean-up.

“It’s been an extraordinary and exhausting week for many here in the City of Wollongong, especially for our emergency service responders, those impacted and Council staff on the ground. Our staff have been working hard to respond to the needs of our community,” Mr Doyle said.

“We’ve seen almost double the number of customers take materials to Whytes Gully tip (the Wollongong Waste and Resource Recovery Park) on Sunday, and almost a 190 per cent increase in the number of people going to the tip to dispose of waste on Monday and Tuesday this week.

“Remondis who are scheduling free, additional on-call waste collections for flood-affected residents, on Monday took more than 1100 requests for kerbside collections, with more than 600 identified as urgent kerbside collection.

“At the same time, our staff continue to assess the damage to Council’s critical infrastructure, including local roads and Council-managed buildings. One example of this is the closure of the southern lane of Nicholson Road in Woonona. As a result of the recent floods, a section of the road has been undermined and requires urgent repair work.

“In Helensburgh, near the train station, sections of road are closed for urgent repair work as Wilsons Creek Road and Vera Road / Old Station Road have been impacted by the storm event.

“Thanks to the Federal and State governments’ Disaster Declaration we’re able to access much-needed support to get on top of issues as they are identified. While we’re working to get the city back on its feet as soon as possible, and event of this size and scale means it will take time. This funding will helps all of us get back on our feet quicker and allow Council to address urgent works sooner.”

For more information and support, see our Flood Updates & Recovery webpage.

Who to call for emotional support

The Australian Red Cross and Salvation Army are available to provide support where needed. Support services can also be accessed by calling the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 or Service NSW on 13 77 88.

Find help at Thirroul and Warrawong community centres

Frustrated by long phone hold times or dealing with multiple agencies?

Flood-affected residents can soon seek help face-to-face and in one place, the NSW Reconstruction Authority has announced.

Two Recovery Assistance Points (RAPs) will open tomorrow, April 11 at Thirroul and Warrawong community centres to access NSW Government and local government services, community organisations and welfare assistance.

Attendees can access mental health first aid and speak to not-for-profits, government and community organisations, including:

• Service NSW, including Business Concierges (at North Wollongong)
• NSW Reconstruction Authority
• Salvation Army
• Insurance Council of Australia
• Telephone interpreting services

The RAPs will be at Thirroul District Community Centre & Library, 352-358 Lawrence Hargrave Drive and the Warrawong Community Centre, 7-9 Greene Street, during the following hours:

• Thursday - 12-7pm
• Friday - 10am-4pm
• Saturday - 9am-1pm

Anyone not able to attend can contact Service NSW for remote assistance, with Customer Care specialists available on the phone via 13 77 88.

This week the NSW and Australian Governments made a disaster declaration for the area, opening up access to a range of special assistance measures for flood-affected communities, provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and Member for Wollongong Paul Scully said: “Many in our community would still remember the devastation caused by the 1998 floods which is why it’s so heartbreaking to see flooding on this scale again.

“As a government, we’ve worked quickly to get funding to local government out the door, but we also know face-to-face support is crucial in the early stages of recovery, so we encourage anyone affected by the floods to visit our Recovery Assistance Points."

CEO of NSW Reconstruction Authority Mal Lanyon APM said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for communities in the Illawarra.

“This is a time when we need to come together and support those who are doing it tough, so I’d encourage anyone who needs it to get out to one of our RAPs and get help.”

Donate

Donations can be made through the NSW Government's Donation Management Channel.

Help for small business, clubs and NFPs

The City of Wollongong has been declared a natural disaster area identified as Category B, which is for serious but localised natural disaster events. Local businesses and organisations located in the Wollongong LGA can now seek help, including grants, loans or financial assistance opportunities for small businesses, sporting and recreation clubs and not-for-profit organisations who were directly affected by the storm and flooding event on Saturday, 6 April.

To find out more about the different financial support options available, business owners can visit the Service NSW website or the Disaster Assistance Finder.

Council's road closures update 

As at 2pm on Tuesday, 9 April, in addition to the road closures on Live Traffic NSW, road closures were in place at:

• Kelton Lane, Thirroul
• Vera St, Helensburgh – closed and controlled by Transport for NSW with traffic control.
• Asquith St, Austinmer.

The pedestrian bridge on O’Briens Road, Figtree near the High School is also closed.

Read more in How local communities rallied together and Your Guide to Finding Help