Monumental $90 million flood repair works continue across Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA

Crews continue to work tirelessly to prioritise some of the worst-hit areas in the region’s outer lying towns, with a few of the larger projects including Rocks Ferry Reserve, Ennis Road in Wauchope, and Stoney Creek Road in Pembrooke.

In the hinterland, several bridges have been rectified with the installation of temporary bridges, and washed-out footings have been stabilised after the force of water removed rocks and boulders from piles.

In Port Macquarie, council has also removed tonnes of sludge from hard-to-reach sections of Settlement Shores and Governors Way canals, as well as silt from North Shore Drive.

More than 1000 areas of damage have been identified as a result of the flood, with an estimated restoration cost of nearly $90 million. Of this, more than $15 million has been invested on the emergency and immediate restoration to date.

Some 35,500 tonnes of flood waste has also been collected across the LGA.

Council director of infrastructure, Dan Bylsma, acknowledged that this has been a monumental achievement for the worst-affected local government area in the state.

“We have reached a significant milestone the recovery process, with more than 50 per cent of the 1000 public assets damaged or destroyed by flooding, repaired to a useable or completed state,” he said.

“While this a great outcome just six months on from the most devastating flood any of us have ever lived through, there is far more to be done.

“Throughout 2022 and beyond, we will be working with various state government agencies and departments to secure additional approvals and funding for the remaining 500-plus public facilities projects still on our radar.

“Our flood recovery program is a multi-layered, highly involved process and our timings from project commencement to completion depend strongly on these important approval and funding factors, as well contractor availability.

“Over the next 12 to 24 months, we anticipate that we’ll be able to complete the remaining 50 per cent of works and return our community to its pre-flood state.”

Mr Bylsma also acknowledged that the recent rainfall across the region has not been helpful in council’s recovery effort.

He said crews will undertake assessments of damaged assets from the recent weather, including those that may have already been impacted from the March floods, and prioritise their repair accordingly.