2024 storm recovery – services and assistance for residents

This page has information about support available to residents impacted by the severe storm event on Tuesday 13 February 2024.

Significant storm damage has been experienced across Cardinia Shire, with Clematis, Emerald, Avonsleigh and Cockatoo the worst-affected areas.

We have started a mobile community outreach program.

  • Check your home, business and property for damage. Call your insurance company to organise any insurance matters, and remember to take photos of damage. Call SES on 132 500 for immediate safety concerns due to property damage from trees. For more info visit the Victorian Government February 2024 Victorian storms page.
  • To report a road, tree, or drainage issue on Council-managed land that could pose an immediate risk to public safety, please report it online.

Disaster Legal Help Victoria will be available to provide information and answer questions at a community information drop-in session in Emerald:

  • When: 4pm - 7pm Thursday 28 March
  • What: Hills Hub, 400A Belgrave-Gembrook Road, Emerald

After a storm, flood or fire damages or destroys your home, it is common to experience legal issues. Disaster Legal Help Victoria can provide free legal information and referrals for legal advice. They have information about checking your insurance policies, getting legal advice for insurance disputes, cash settlements, property damage (including trees and fences), tenancy issues, debt and financial stress. 

Council will also be available to answer questions and provide information about storm recovery.

Previous drop-in sessions

Information drop-in sessions for storm-affected residents have been held in various locations on Friday 15 March, Wednesday 13 March, Tuesday 20 February and Saturday 2 March. 

An online recording, and answers to questions raised, at the first community information session on Tuesday 20 February are available here: February 2024 community information session for storm-affected residents – questions and answers.

Council’s priority works

We are continuing to work with our contractors to prioritise clean-up works across the shire.

Works are being scheduled based on community safety and need, with the most urgent works being undertaken first:

  • Trees that are blocking, or are over, the road
  • Hanging branches over the road or footpath
  • Assessment of trees in kindergartens where land is owned by Council
  • Trees blocking driveways on the road reserve (not within the property)
  • Fallen trees or hanging branches in public areas in townships
  • Fallen trees or hanging branches in other parks, reserves and open spaces.

Public safety remains our number one priority. If you need to report a road, tree, or drainage issue on Council-managed land that could pose an immediate risk to public safety, please report it online.

Otherwise, call our customer service team on 1300 787 624 during business hours.

Council is unable to pick up green waste from private properties, but we will continue to work as quickly as we can to clear trees, branches and green waste from Council-managed land.
 

Kerbside storm debris removal program

UPDATE: Due to the large volume of debris to be collected across our storm-affected areas, the kerbside removal program dates have been extended.

It is anticipated that cleanup crews will be completed by Wednesday 10 April. If your storm debris has not yet been collected, please continue to leave it on your nature strip.

A kerbside storm debris removal program will take place from Wednesday 20 to Monday 25 March for storm-affected residents in 19 townships.

During this time, residents can leave tree branches and trunks (up to 30cm in diameter) as well as other storm-related waste (such as building debris) on their nature strip for collection.

General hard waste will not be collected as part of this program. 

Collection will take place across 543 roads. For a full list of townships and roads included as part of the program, see kerbside storm debris removal program locations. 

This program is being delivered by Council in partnership with Emergency Recovery Victoria. 
 

Emergency Recovery Victoria clean-up support

  • Emergency Recovery Victoria has announced clean-up support for storm-affected communities. If your home was damaged by the February storm event and is not covered by insurance, you may be eligible for clean-up support.
  • Information, including eligibility criteria and registration form, can be found on Emergency Recovery Victoria’s website 
     

Green waste and storm-related waste disposal

Residents impacted by the recent storms can dispose of their green waste in a number of ways, including:

  • Dropping off their green waste for free until Tuesday 30 April, at the Pakenham and Lysterfield transfer stations (other storm-related general waste can be dropped at Lysterfield also). 
  • Placing green waste in the green lidded FOGO bin that is collected fortnightly.
  • Booking in a hard/bundled green waste collection (up to 4m3 for a double booking). Visit our hard waste info page.
  • Placing larger branches and piles of tree debris that do not fit into the programs listed above on the nature strip outside their property to be removed by a qualified team. A State Government supported clean-up crew will soon begin a kerbside clean-up program to assist with removing accessible residential tree debris from the kerbside. Collection dates and areas will be advised as soon as possible, in the meantime branches and tree debris can be placed neatly on nature strips.
  • If it’s a safety concern, call SES on 132 500
  • or, if practicable, investigating insurance optionss for tree branches larger than 30cm wide or longer than 1m that can’t be trimmed down.

Drop-off details

  • Residents impacted by the recent storms can drop-off their green waste for free, as well as other storm-related general waste, until Tuesday 30 April.
  • All transfer stations and landfills in Victoria are currently accepting residential amounts of green waste including tree branches and trunks (up to 30 centimetres wide and 1 metre long), weeds, grass clippings, leaves, and flowers. This also includes other storm-related waste such as building debris.

Local transfer stations include:

Lysterfield

Cleanaway Resource Recovery Centre (840 Wellington Rd, Lysterfield)
Monday - Friday: 8am - 3:30pm 
Saturday: 8am - 11:30am 
Sunday: 8am -11:30am 

Pakenham  

Future Recycling Transfer Station (30-32 Exchange Drive, Pakenham) 
Monday - Friday: 8am - 3:30pm 
Saturday: 8am - 2pm

Drop-in / relief centres are now closed

  • With most of the area's power now restored, the drop-in centre at Cockatoo and the relief centre at Emerald have closed operations. 
  • Please see below for the locations of our mobile community outreach program.

Mobile community outreach program

Council staff are visiting storm-affected communities as part of our mobile community outreach program.

We’ll be available at a number of local cafes to have a chat, provide information and referrals for support, and to answer any questions.

We want to hear from community members impacted by the storms, so please join us for a cuppa and chat, pick up an information pack and ask us questions.

The community outreach program for storm-affected communities will be at the following locations:

Friday 8 March 

  • Up the Hill Bakehouse, Shop 1, 35-37 Beaconsfield-Emerald Road, Beaconsfield Upper, 8:30am–4:30pm

Emerald Lake Park and Nobelius Heritage Park have partially reopened to the public.

Members of the public can now access:

  • the lakeside carpark
  • paths around Lake Treganowan
  • playgrounds
  • paths around Lake Nobelius
  • Nobelius Heritage Park

Please note that the bush tracks and the Model Railway and Bellbird car parks remain closed until further notice in order for safety works to continue.

Clean-up works are continuing around the precinct.

If you’re facing financial hardship or feeling worried about paying your rates as a result of the storms, go to our Request a rates payment plan or apply for financial hardship webpage

The Victorian Government is offering emergency relief payments (via its Personal Hardship Assistance Program) to eligible community members whose homes have been impacted by the storms of 13 February 2024.

Emergency relief payments are designed to provide immediate financial help for eligible Victorians experiencing extreme financial hardship due to the storms. 

Step 1 – Find out if you may be eligible for the payment

You are eligible for a relief payment if: 

  • your principal place of residence is in an evacuation warning area, or the fires or storms have damaged your home, AND
  • you have unmet immediate relief needs. 

Please note: Residents who have experienced loss of power only are not eligible for an emergency relief payment. Please contact your power or insurance company for further information.

More info on this and other relief payments

Visit the Financial Help page on the Victorian Government website or call VicEmergency on 1800 226 226 (press 9 for an interpreter). 

Step 2 – If you think you may be eligible for this relief payment, call the Vic Recovery Hotline (1800 560 760)

If you think you may be eligible for this emergency relief payment, please call the Vic Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 (Press 9 for an interpreter if needed). 

More information

Visit the Emergency Victoria website for more information about Emergency Relief Payments. 

 

If your household or small business was without power for 7 days cumulatively, within a 2-week (14 day) period, from Tuesday 13 February to Tuesday 27 February as a result of severe weather events on Tuesday 13 February and Thursday 22 February, you may be eligible for a Prolonged Power Outage Payment.

If you have not already been contacted by AusNet about the Payment, and believe you are eligible, you can access claim forms on AusNet’s website.

If you need to report a road, tree, or drainage issue on Council-managed land that could pose an immediate risk to public safety, please report it online

Otherwise, call our customer service team on 1300 787 624 during business hours, Monday to Friday.

  • Agriculture Victoria is offering technical support for Victorian farmers and agricultural industry for topics on responding to the recent storms. Call 0427 694 185 or send an email to recovery@agriculture.vic.gov.au.
  • You can also self-report the agricultural impacts of the storm to assist with reporting via the AgVic impact assessment form

View more info at Agriculture Victoria

Our Maternal and Child Health (MCH) centres have now re-opened at all locations.

South East Water advised customers in Garfield, Tynong, Pakenham, Bunyip, Koo Wee Rup and surrounding areas of possible issues following the storm (such as low water pressure, slow drainage or gurgling from their sewer). For updates or to report issues in these areas, visit the South East Water website or call 13 28 12.

Some residents who live further north in our Shire (including in Emerald, Cockatoo and Gembrook) are customers of Yarra Valley Water and can contact Yarra Valley Water or view its Faults and Outages map for mains water issues.