Prime Minister Tony Abbott has visited the central Queensland town of Yeppoon almost one week after it was left battered and bruised by Tropical Cyclone Marcia. Mr Abbott arrived in the regional town late on Thursday afternoon where he met with disaster officials and volunteers for a barbecue at the Livingstone Council Depot.
The federal government has announced low-interest loans for primary producers, small businesses and non-government organisations affected by the storm under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.
"These concessional loans will help cover the costs of repairing or replacing damaged infrastructure and equipment and replacing lost livestock," Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said in a statement.
Freight subsidies are also available.
But the announcement came after central Queensland MP Brittany Lauga called on the federal government to make it easier for cyclone victims to access assistance payments.
Currently, disaster recovery payments of $1000 per adult and $400 per child are available.
But to be eligible, they must have suffered a serious injury or had their home destroyed or extensively damaged.
Principal carers of dependent children who have experienced these hardships also qualify.
The damage bill continues to rise after the category five tropical cyclone slammed into the central Queensland coast at Shoalwater Bay, near Yeppoon, last Friday morning.
Around 12,000 insurance claims have been lodged worth an estimated $70 million, according to the Insurance Council of Australia.
The agriculture industry is likely to take a hit of $50 million the cost of rebuilding roads and other infrastructure is unclear, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
"Families are completely distraught - they've lost their homes, their livelihood - but thankfully there has been no loss of life," she said on Thursday.
The Premier visited the towns of Biloela and Jambin, which faced evacuations at the height of the storm's fury, after announcing a boost for non-government organisations at the forefront of community relief efforts.
Red Cross, the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and Uniting Care will each receive $250,000 to help them continue their work in Yeppoon, Rockhampton and other regional towns.
The $1 million replaces a government-run appeal, but Ms Palaszczuk has still urged Queenslanders to donate to those organisations.
Red Cross Queensland chairman John Pinney expected the organisation to have a presence in cyclone-hit towns and cities for "at least a couple of years".
Almost 14,000 properties have been reconnected to the electricity grid since Wednesday, according to energy company Ergon.
A 25-year-old Rockhampton man has been charged with receiving tainted property after police investigated the theft of 17 power generators from the city.
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