Residents affected by the category two cyclone can now apply for emergency hardship assistance to help with essential needs, including food, clothing, or temporary accommodation.

Families can apply for hardship assistance of up to $900 for families of five or more. Individuals are eligible for payments of $180.

The grants also cover hardships resulting from loss of power requiring people to dispose of food or medicines.

The state government assistance is available to people living in all parts of the Townsville and Burdekin Shire local government areas.

Payments to cover essential services loss

The Queensland government is also offering assistance to help with essential services hardship resulting from loss of power, gas, water, and sewerage.

To qualify, residents must have lost one or more essential service for more than five days and be experiencing hardship as a result.

Families can apply for essential services hardship payments of $750 for families of five or more, or $150 for individuals.

There are further grants to cover essential services safety inspections and reconnection costs.

These payments are available to homeowners who are uninsured or unable to claim insurance and meet income limits.

A government inspector must also visit the home to assess the damage.

The grants cover up to $200 for safety inspection costs for water, electricity, gas, and sewage and up to $4,200 for repairs or replacement of these services.

How to apply

The Queensland government is advising people to seek more information about the grants via its website, its community recovery hubs in the region, or through its community recovery hotline on 1800 173 349.

Applications are now being accepted via the Community Recovery Grants portal.

Community recovery hubs are located in Ayr in the Burdekin Shire and in four locations in the Townsville local government area: Bluewater, Deeragun, Garbutt, and Rasmussen.

At this stage, there is no federal government disaster recovery support for those affected by Cyclone Kirrily.

Kirrily clean-up continues

The clean-up is still underway in North Queensland where electricity crews have been working around the clock to restore power.

Around 66,000 households experienced a power outage during the cyclone’s crossing of the coast at the onset of the Australia Day long weekend.

Ergon Energy is aiming to have electricity services restored to the vast majority of customers on Monday 29 January.

Some residents are also still being advised to continue to conserve water until regular water supply services are fully restored.

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