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Retired Australian Army Brigadier Darren Naumann has been appointed to lead the recovery of the storm-ravaged Hunter and Central Coast.
Premier Mike Baird has announced Brigadier Naumann will take up the position of Regional Recovery Co-ordinator for the Hunter and Central Coast floods on Monday.
He will chair the Regional Recovery Committee which will have representatives from local councils and government agencies including the State Emergency Service, police, family and community services, health and transport.
On Monday Brigadier Naumann will receive briefings in Sydney and begin work on the ground on Tuesday, meeting councils, agencies and community members.
Among his first tasks will be ensuring the opening of two one-stop shop recovery centres in Dungog and Maitland and then advising on the need for others. He will provide a progress report to the government in three months.
"The recovery work of the State Emergency Service, the NSW Police and other agencies since the ravaging storms that gripped the eastern parts of our state last week has been outstanding," Mr Baird said.
"But there are still communities under severe duress, and I want to make sure that the recovery effort is as co-ordinated and effective as possible.
"Brigadier Darren Naumann is the ideal person to make that happen, and I am deeply thankful that he has accepted this appointment."
Before his retirement last month, Brigadier Naumann spent 34 years in the army, including 13 years with the Defence Infrastructure Division. He had served as director-general of capital facilities and infrastructure since 2010.
