SES flood workshops on the way for Maitland

BY JACINTA LEE

Businesses in Maitland have been invited to get involved in a new workshop on flood management.

The workshop is the latest in a series of local responses to last year's April superstorm, when the State Emergency Service received upwards of 2800 requests for help in the Maitland region alone.

SES Community Engagement Officer, Alexandra Varley, said businesses simply weren't prepared for the level of damage and this workshop will get them back on track.

"Businesses will actually receive their own business continuity plan," she said. "It's a step-by-step guide so that when a disaster does strike, they know the steps to take before, during and after the event."

The workshop kicks off on Friday, 11th November at Town Hall.

To register their interest, business owners can call the Maitland City Unit on 0417 549 292.

Councils seeking reimbursement, more than a year after floods

BY JACINTA LEE

Hunter Councils are calling on the Baird Government to repay a multi-million-dollar gap in the budget caused by last year's April superstorm.

Mayor of Port Stephens, Bruce MacKenzie, says Council is owed up to $6 million for repairs carried out during the flood events.

He says his team has put in a $3.6 million claim to NSW Public Works, but their calls are not being returned.

"As far as I'm concerned, we were promised that a long time ago and there's nothing coming," he states.

Meanwhile, Lake Macquarie Council's claim for $3.5 million has reportedly gone unanswered since it was put forward in January.

"There's been a large damage bill," Lake Macquarie Mayor Jodie Harrison says. "Some of it has been covered by insurance and some of it, the state government said that they would pay."