A DAMAGE bill in the “tens of millions of dollars’’ has led to a natural disaster zone declaration for the state’s south-west.Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan announced yesterday an extension of the zone declaration to include a further 12 local government areas. In addition to the announcement a Regional Recovery Committee has been established to assist community recovery. Comprised of local councils, members of parliament, state and federal government agencies, the insurance industry and community welfare services, it will meet for the first time today. Acting Emergency Services minister Phil Costa was in Wagga on Saturday afternoon to announce the worst-affected areas of Wagga, Tumut, Tumbarumba, Greater Hume, Lockhart and Albury shires would receive disaster relief funding. During his 80-minute visit, Mr Costa was shown the almost peaking Murrumbidgee River before being briefed on the flood situations across the region. “We will be there to help those communities in need and we’ll be there all the way through it with our partners to ensure people who have been impacted by this disaster are supported and given the help they need,” he said. “I have been given a briefing on the operations last night. It was a dark night, a cold night and an extremely wet night and the emergency services people have worked in very difficult circumstances to keep the community safe.”New Flood pictures in Gallery 'Flood pics of October 2010.'