Premier Daniel Andrews and Deputy Premier James Merlino have visited Cobden to pledge the State Government’s support to help the south-west recover from the devastating fires.
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Mr Andrews announced re-establishment grants of up to $40,700 are being made available and that 19 people have already accepted personal hardship grants for food, clothing and shelter.
He said re-establishing power supply was a priority.
“Power is of critical importance, speed is of critical importance, particularly for dairy farmers. There were 40,000 people without power yesterday, 1700 today, including 1300 in fire-affected areas,” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s going to be a long road back to normal for these communities.
“It is just heart-breaking, it is an absolutely crushing thing.
“It is amazing (there were no deaths) when you think about the size of the fire, the intensity, how fast it was running.
“We’re all very fortunate, there was a bit of good luck but there was a bit of good management.
“The fact there are no funerals to go to is amazing.”
