Central Coast Council held an Extraordinary Meeting tonight to update the full Council and community members about the damage caused by coastal beach erosion at Wamberal and The Entrance North.

Council has called on the State Government to declare a natural disaster after last week’s severe weather created severe coastal erosion damage and damaged properties at Wamberal. This would enable affected residents to seek assistance and support to recover, while Council would be able to access funds to repair infrastructure impacted by the storms.

Council acknowledged the severe weather had caused great distress to residents and said it wouldn't take regulatory action in respect of any coastal engineer-designed actions they took to protect their properties in the next four weeks, providing it would not have a significant adverse impact on other properties or land.

An Emergency Operations Centre has been set up. This is the base where NSW Police are leading the coordination efforts of State Emergency Services, Council and other government agencies responding to the local emergency.

A closed information session for affected residents of The Entrance North will be held at the North Entrance Surf Life Saving Club on Tuesday 21 July 2020 at 7pm. A similar meeting was held with Wamberal residents over the weekend.

Mayor Lisa Matthews said it is important for State and local levels of Government to work together on the issue.

“This is a not a time for blaming each other – it is a time for us to work together to deliver long-term solutions for the Coast, including for those who have been so terribly impacted by this event,” Mayor Matthews said.

Council has also called on the State Government to fast track recommendations of the Wamberal Beach Management Options: Cost Benefit and Distribution Analysis Report finalised in August 2017.

Council will continue to provide information to the community about recovery efforts through its website, social media and other information channels.