Victims of the Esperance fires will be able to begin applying for financial assistance from the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund (LMDRF), this week.
The Board of the LMDRF, has today released measures which will be used to distribute money to those affected.
Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the generosity of the public, organisations and business has seen more than $1.2 million raised to date.
“The kindness of people to donate so much money, especially at this time of year, is overwhelming, Ms Scaffidi said.
“The Board will work closely with the Shire of Esperance which will coordinate applications, and all of the money that has been raised will be disbursed to those affected.”
Seven categories of assistance have been developed, including for the next of kin of those who died, people who suffered property loss or damage, and funding to help support the community as part of the broader recovery.
The Board has defined the following categories.
For Owners / Owner Occupiers of properties impacted by the bushfire there are three levels of LMDRF grant assistance available as follows:
- Level One shall apply in those instances where the place of residence and contents have been totally destroyed;
- Level Two shall apply in those instances where the place of residence and contents have been damaged but the house remains habitable;
- Level Three shall apply in those instances where there has been other property damage / loss.
For Occupiers (those renting) of properties impacted by the bushfire there are two levels of LMDRF grant assistance available as follows:
- Level Four shall apply in those instances where the house contents have been totally destroyed as a consequence of the house being totally destroyed;
- Level Five shall apply in those instances where there has been partial damage/loss of house contents and other personal effects.
For Next of Kin of those who lost their lives in the bushfire there is one level of LMDRF grant assistance available as follows:
- Level Six shall apply in those instances where costs were incurred as a result of the fatality.
For Esperance Shire Council there is one level of LMDRF grant assistance available as follows:
- Level Seven shall apply to a proposal or proposals for community well-being activities to assist in the broader recovery program.
People can access an application form here, or directly at the front counter of the Shire of Esperance.
For more information regarding grant assistance categories or for online application forms, visit www.appealswa.org.au
Issued by: Michael Holland, Senior Communications and Public Relations Officer, 0409 378 926, michael.holland@cityofperth.wa.gov.au
