Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX:WBC) is providing a range of additional initiatives to support customers and local communities impacted by the devastating Queensland floods.

Recognising the extraordinary nature of the floods and the extent of the damage throughout Queensland, the bank said it is expanding the range of assistance available for impacted customers and streamlined processes and resources to ensure support is delivered swiftly and sensibly.

Westpac Group Executive Retail and Business Bank Rob Coombe said, "Having spent the past few days visiting flood-impacted areas like Ipswich and Toowoomba, I am shocked by just how devastating these floods have been on our customers and their local communities,"

"The rebuilding task now facing Queensland will take billions of dollars and many years to complete. With this in mind, I have marshalled additional resources and expertise to ensure that our Westpac customers get immediate and personalised support to get back on their feet."

Westpac said it has moved quickly to implement a range of additional initiatives to complement assistance already provided to flood-affected customers under the bank's standard Disaster Relief package, which offers a range of assistance including home loan and credit card repayment deferrals for up to three months and the waiving of some fees and charges.

Additional initiatives include implementing a practical and common sense approach to assessing all Westpac Home and Content claims, contributing $100 toward the cost of electrical safety verification certificates to enable Westpac's household and business customers to re-enter their premises, offering emergency loan overdrafts to business and consumer customers, and offering a special concessional personal loan with no establishment fee.

The bank also said it will be increasing local credit authority levels so that bankers can make quicker local decisions, Streamlining arrangements to expedite customer access to working capital and equipment finance without the requirement for extensive paperwork and providing local financial-education seminars for both business and consumer customers to provide financial and disaster-relief recovery advice.

Mr Coombe said Westpac had also earmarked funding of $2 billion that could be utilised by its customers in Queensland over the next 12 months, a significant proportion of which will be used directly in the rebuilding process. The bank has deployed additional resources and streamlined credit approval processes to ensure these funds can be dispersed promptly to customers.

Westpac has already committed $1 million to support relief and recovery efforts through the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal and by allocating funds to be available for local community groups to utilise in the rebuild of local infrastructure and resources.

The bank will also guarantee an additional $1 million contribution to flood relief efforts by matching all employee donations dollar-for-dollar, with all of its 40,000 employees encouraged to support the bank's Big Red Heart national fundraising appeal this week.

Westpac branches are taking donations on behalf of the Queensland Premier's Disaster

Relief Appeal and have already collected more than $5 million on behalf of staff and customers across Australia.