At least $635,000 has been handed out to fire victims since the St Patrick’s Day blazes swept across the south-west, with millions more on the way.
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Government figures have revealed that $187,700 has been paid out for nine of the 22 primary places of residence destroyed in the March fires through the emergency reestablishment assistance fund.
Those grants cover clean-up, emergency accommodation, repairs, rebuilding and replacing some of the damaged contents.
More than 300 payments worth $337,951 have also been handed out under the Personal Hardship Assistance Program.
About $110,000 from the $320,000 that was raised by the Community Relief Fund has already been distributed to 110 applicants.
A committee is reviewing applications for the second round of funding which closed early last month.
Bendigo Bank established the fund in partnership with Emergency Management Victoria and a number of other stakeholders.
Meanwhile, the federal and state government have invested $2.95m under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements which offers the 295 properties impacted by the fires grants of up to $10,000.
As of early August, 66 people had applied for the $10,000 relief and recovery grants through Agriculture Victoria/Rural Finance.
There have been nine applications for concessional interest rate loans. The loans of up to $200,000 were also made available to eligible primary producers to cover the cost of clean-up including the removal of debris, re-seeding impacted pasture land and repairing damaged equipment and machinery.
Victorian Farmers Federation’s Over the Farm Gate program providing grants to fire-affected communities totalling $100,000.
The Department of Health and Human Services has allocated $550,000 for counselling services and to continue the farmer outreach program.
Moyne Shire activated its mobile Recovery Van to connect with impacted farmers and the community.
The Small Towns marketing project has been set up to encourage visitors to stimulate the local economy.
About $50,000 in funding for the project, which is expected to start soon, has come from the government’s Stronger Regional Communities Plan, the rest has come from local government.
Deakin University is also coordinating a planting program using donated trees with the support of Landcare Groups and municipalities.
