Cyclone Seroja: Geraldton locals line up for hours as State Government vouchers handed out

Hundreds of people lined up for hours in Geraldton today to access State Government vouchers to replace essential items lost in the cyclone aftermath. A massive queue developed outside Geraldton’s evacuation centre, at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, as people waited up to six hours to get a pre-paid card to use for food and fuel. The assistance from the Department of Communities is aimed at helping replace what people lost during the cyclone. There is a limit of $200 for individuals and $800 for families. They can be used for food, essentials and fuel but not cigarettes or alcohol. Mount Tarcoola residents Merrilyn and Barry Line were happy to wait in line. “We lost all the meat in our freezer, the milk, butter, eggs, all our vegetables,” Mrs Line said. “I don’t mind at all (waiting for hours). I’m on a pension so money is hard to come by. I’m happy to take what the Government is prepared to offer. “I do want to say that I think we are extremely lucky that we were in Geraldton, not Kalbarri. We definitely dodged a bullet.” Mrs Line said her power was intermittent as of yesterday. A sign near the entrance warned people the wait to get processed could take six hours.