Flooded Victoria Daly regional communities including homelands of Kalkarindji, Daguragu, Pigeon Hole, Yarralin and Timber Creek that were affected by severe flooding will receive disaster assistance starting this week, the government has said.

The emergency relief funds – jointly funded under the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) – will assist hundreds of folks displaced during the extensive rain that caused massive flooding in the region and nearby areas.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said both levels of government are working together to deliver relief for people in the affected communities.

“We are working in lockstep with the Northern Territory Government to ensure assistance is delivered quickly on the ground,” he said. “We are continuing to monitor conditions on the ground, whilst rolling out support as quickly as possible, and we’ll continue to look at other types of assistance that may be needed.”

The assistance for affected Territorians includes:

Category A will include: personal hardship and distress payments for eligible affected residents; emergency home repairs; and removal of debris and personal and financial counselling;

Category B will include: repairs to services and infrastructure; freight subsidies to primary producers and assistance to non-profit organisations; and support for local councils and residents to help with clean-up costs and the restoration of essential public assets.

Immediate Hardship Payments include $300 per child, $593 for adults, and $1,493 for families. Additional assistance for primary producers and non-profit organisations, including a 50 per cent freight subsidy capped at $5,000 for primary producers and a maximum grant of $10,000 for affected non-profit organisations is also available.

Communities eligible for assistance include individuals affected by evacuations in the Victoria Daly Region under Category A, and Local Government Areas including the Barkly, Litchfield, Roper Gulf, and West Arnhem under Category B.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler said that working with the Federal Government would ensure the appropriate assistance continues to flow for affected Territorians.

“The flooding of the Victoria Highway, one our major roadways, created an extremely challenging situation, and I thank our emergency services and response staff for their tireless work in restoring services and ensuring the delivery of critical goods to residents,” Ms Lawler said.

Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Federal Government’s Disaster Assist website, and the NT Government’s emergency information and response websites.