Last month we saw unprecedented rainfall across northern Victoria, causing significant flooding throughout the Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) region.
The floods have done severe damage to communities and affected many people’s livelihoods, but in the midst of this, it has been heartening to see how people have united to overcome such hardships.
This has pleasingly been the case within GMW as well. Our staff have shown a remarkable dedication to their communities throughout the flooding, with many having even carried out critical flood response work while their own properties have been threatened or affected.
Our staff have provided support during the floods in numerous ways, such as relaying information to their communities, operating as part of our Emergency Management Team, repairing channels banks and other assets, and even volunteering in their local SES and foodbank branches.
They have embodied our company values, even during the most trying of times, and I am confident they will continue to do so throughout the recovery process.
The region we manage spans 68,000 square kilometres. Consequently, different parts of the region are on different parts of the road to recovery.
On Monday 24 October, we stood up a dedicated GMW Flood Incident & Recovery Team to support customers and communities. The team immediately began identifying flood-impacted assets and reviewing what works will be needed to repair them.
Preliminary assessments show the scale of the repairs in front of us. We estimate there is 299km of channel and 98 regulators to be inspected in our central customer service area, and 143km of channel and 22 regulators to be inspected in our east customer service area.
Further inspection will also be undertaken when water levels allow.
While it might be a long road to recovery, we are already offering our customers various forms of support.
Any GMW customer can have their water entitlement records and statements replaced free of charge. Support through hardship payments are also available to flood affected customers.
Furthermore, our 2022/23 fixed charge accounts were issued in July 2022 but customers who chose to pay their accounts in full have had the due date by two months to 16 February 2023.
Those paying in instalments can contact GMW to discuss alternative options if they are unable to meet these payments.
We understand the recent floods have financially affected people in unique ways, and we will work with customers to find a solution that fits their needs.
For more information on how GMW can assist with flood recovery, go to www.gmwater.com.au/flood-recovery