Flood ripple effect could be town and region ending event without further support

The ripple effects from the devastating floods in the Northern Rivers Region have the potential to be town and region ending events without further Government support, claims the Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association of Australia today.

“FTMA Member Sly Bros is a family-owned business who has been in the region for 100 years and on its current site in Woodburn for 90 years”, said FTMA CEO, Mrs Kersten Gentle.

“Sly Bros are the one of the biggest employers in town and, like all other responsible businesses in Woodburn, they have worked hard to mitigate flood damage by building their businesses to withstand floods based on the 1954 flood levels”, Mrs Gentle said.

However, this time they simply had no time.

“On Monday 28 February at 4.30pm, we left the business and there was no water on the ground, however, by midnight the water was already entering our office and it was too late, as we had never experienced the speed in which the water rose”, said David Sly, Director of Sly Bros.

“In Woodburn alone, 95% of residential and all businesses have been destroyed, which is similar to Coraki, Bungawalbyn, Broadwater and Wardell and there is no doubt we are at risk of being forced to close which will have a detrimental impact on the entire Northern Rivers region”, said Mr Sly.

“This catastrophic storm was not a just a flood but a disaster for our entire region and if the Federal and State Government’s want our region to survive, they must step-up and provide further assistance”, Mr Sly said.

“Whilst we appreciate the 13 weeks Disaster Relief Payments (DRP) provided by the government, they must streamline the process as people have lost cars, computers, phones and all their possessions, and the last thing they need is to find a way to get to a place to register or to register online, it’s just not practical”, said Mr Sly.

“The Federal Government has already saved many of our businesses through the JobKeeper program as it allowed our payroll to continue and streamlined the process making it easier for everyone and removed the stress.”

“We call on government to use the JobKeeper mechanisms as a way of distributing the DRP so workers can continue to be paid, businesses can ensure they retain their skilled workers, and we can turn our focus to the enormous task of cleaning up” said Mr Sly.

“If the State & Federal Government’s want the vote of country people at this year’s elections, they need to cut red tape and increase the support for businesses and communities devastated by these catastrophic floods”, concluded Mrs Gentle

For further information please contact:?

David Sly, Director Sly Bros??????????????????Kersten Gentle, CEO FTMA Australia

0414 283 270???????????????????????????????????????????0418 226 242