3. - usaid

several persons were injured frm shattered glass. The residents of
Meckering and the surrounding farmers had their residences destroyed or
so badly damaged as to be urrinhabitable. Public, church, and business
buildings in town suffered similar damage. Comnunications over an area
of 1,600 square miles were disrupted. The October 14 earthquake was the
worst in that part of Australia in memory.
ACTION TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA AND LQCAZ; ORGANIZATIONS
The Premier of Western Australia visited the town the day after the quake
and also on that day the Lord Mayor's Distress Fund Comnittee decided
to make a public appeal for mds. Collections from this appeal totaled
$510,017 as of March 14, 1969. The earthquake appeal runds included
$50,000 from each of the Cmnwealth and State Govemnts and $25,000
from the Government of New South Wales, with the balance of $385,017 coming
from the public, mainly from West Australians.
The State Government Advisory Relief Cormittee organized the local relief
and assistance was given to the needy. The Australian Red Cross assisted.
A Conanittee of local people was formed in Meckering. The comnunlty was
fed from a hall on the Agricultural Show Grounds in Meckering. Food was
paid for by the Lord Mayor's Rmd and staffed by local voluntary people.
This condition applied for several weeks after the disaster. Three trucks
and a loader were sent to Meckering to assist in the removal of rubble as
part of a plan by neighboring councils to help clean up the town.
Sixty Amy huts were made available by the Cmnwealth Govemnt free of
charge as temporary homes. Cost of hauling and mounting the huts on the
farm properties was $600 each. Therefore, those who received these huts
had $500 deducted frm the total money allowed them for rebuilding.
The Advisory Relief Committee estimated the damages. Applications for
assistance were referred to this cornnittee and grants were made to the
disaster victims on its recorrmendations. The Committee recmnded a total
of $300,000 to ay $3,000 each for rebuilding 100 houses. It also recmmended
that $19 g ,000 be given to other victims to partially pay 'for cost of
repairing their homes. The Cornnittee did not recmnd payment for business
losses or churches, indicating that these would be considered later. It
recognized the needs of the organizations but felt the personal requirements
of the people should receive priority of assistance.
Under a Cmonwealth Government plan, insurance companies received more than
3,000 claims. These were made by those with an appropriate insurance
entitlement and amounts of $400 to $500 were comon. Care was exercised
by officers of the Public Works Department to avoid overlap with the relief
m s
.