Recovery information
Help is available for people impacted by the February 2024 Victorian storms.
We can help you with things like:
- insurance claims and legal matters
- financial support
- mental health and wellbeing
- finding local services in your area
You can call the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760.
If you’ve been affected by a different emergency, there are general services that can provide you with help or advice.
Recovery services, wellbeing and support
Find out more about the support, advice and counselling available as you and your family recover from storms, bushfires or floods.
Recovery progress
In mid-February 2024, a large-scale storm event resulted in damage to homes and properties across central and eastern Victoria. In the 48 hour period during and after the event, more than 4,000 requests for assistance were received to assist with damaged buildings and fallen trees.
Large areas of Victoria experienced network outages, with many homes without power over several days.
During this time, western Victoria experienced bushfires due to lightning strikes.
We worked closely with local councils and the community to provide recovery support including the Recovery Support program and clean-up support.
Recovery snapshot
- 6,000+calls to the Emergency Recovery Hotline (fire and storm)
- 500+ clean-up and structural assessment registrations
- 3,800+households connected with recovery support
Emergency Recovery Hotline
The Emergency Recovery Hotline received more than 6,000 calls following the February 2024 Victorian fires and storms. Callers were referred to programs based on their needs including assistance connecting to Recovery Support.
Recovery Support program
The Recovery Support program continues to help those impacted by the February 2024 Victorian storms and fires. To date, more than 3,800 people have accessed support.
Clean-up program
Trees and branches brought down by the storms resulted in damage to several homes and many residents also experienced access issues due to debris. In some instances, trees or branches were damaged in the storms and assessed as dangerous due to a risk of falling.
We assisted over 500 people through the Clean-up Program, which included demolishing homes that had been damaged and were not covered by insurance for free and also removing hazardous trees close to people’s homes.
Disaster Relief Australia worked with us to deliver clean-up works to impacted communities. Disaster Relief Australia coordinated 175 volunteers to deliver 9,800 hours of work, completing over 100 clean-up jobs in storm-impacted areas.
Next steps
We continue to work with local councils and their communities to support the recovery process. We are committed to ensuring locally-led recovery that focuses on the most pressing needs of people and communities.
Donate
If you would like to support those affected by the Victorian storms, you can donate through the not-for-profit donation service GIVIT(opens in a new window).
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