Seventeen days ago, the town of Lismore recorded its worst flood on record with waters peaking at 14.4m and destroying thousands of properties.
The home of Amanda Dann, her partner Sandro and their daughter Calypso was totally inundated – submerged well past the second floor.
Since then, the family has been working tirelessly to salvage what they can, but they are left with many unanswered questions as to what will happen next.
Their story is similar to that of many other angry, confused and exhausted homeowners in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland who lost everything in the blink of an eye and are now seeking support and answers from governments and insurers.
Those answers have been slow to come. So too has help with the clean-up.
When the unthinkable happens
In the days before disaster struck, Amanda and Sandro heard reports of possible flooding and moved their belongings out of the garage, understanding that water from the last major floods had only reached that height.
“There was a clear mark on a support beam inside the garage confirming where it had come to,” Ms Dann said.
However, at 3am on February 28, the couple found themselves in the middle of a terrifying scenario.
“Our dogs woke us as the flood water was coming up our steps. Our boats in the backyard were sinking and my partner started to scramble to save them. Luckily he did because within an hour everything we owned was now floating and we had to escape in his boat.
“In doing so, we saved many in the street. We stayed awake on high ground all night while my partner ferried people to safety.
“But when he finally stopped, he took me over to see our house. I fell to the floor of the boat and cried and cried. My life went from ‘water will get into the garage’ to ‘my lounge is floating in my neighbour’s yard’.”
While “things are just things”, Ms Dann said she and her family had worked so hard to buy their home and now feel like it’s all been ripped away.
The past few weeks have been “soul-destroying” and she knows the nightmare is far from over.
“I can’t explain the impact emotionally this has had on our family seeing our lives laid bare and floating around, precious items gone, memories stolen away by the water.”
Now salvaging what’s there
Since returning home, the family have been working hard to salvage what’s left of their home with the help of friends and the community.
“Our beautiful friends have been helping us clean out mud caked rooms and remove our destroyed possessions,” Ms Dann said.
“There were a lot of people bringing food and clothes which was awesome – total strangers some who drove from so far away to help us out.
“We never stayed at a refuge – we went home and roughed it with no electricity and in a lot of mud. We didn’t see the firies till about a week-and-a-half later but they were busy in the CBD, which needed their help desperately.
“The army came for about half an hour, chucked a few heavy things out, then left. We did apply for the government flood grant, but it’s a drop in the well compared to the loss, and food was so scarce we ate cans [of corn] we found in the house. Apart from that, the beautiful volunteers were the only ones present. Government help has been non-existent.”
Like many who bought in the area, Amanda and Sandro were swayed to purchase a property with the reassurance the home had only experienced minor flooding in the past.
Some buyers will look for a home with a floor level above the one-in-100-year flood event line, Ms Dann explained.
Like many other locals, this horror flooding well exceeded those historic lines, she said.
“As we [bought the house with] a home loan, insurance was required by the bank. I researched so many, got quotes and was able to gain insurance that offered flood. It definitely wasn’t cheap but it was required, so we paid.
“But because of the cost, I didn’t even consider contents insurance. I never thought I’d ever have to use it.”
What happens now?
Like many flood-impacted residents, Amanda and Sandro are now left wondering what will happen with their property, with very little clarification from governments and insurers.
“It’s such a confusing time,” Ms Dann said.
“Definite answers are hard to find, there are a lot of answers that involve the words ‘at this stage’ – like things could change in the future.
“Do we fix our house or is council or whoever makes these decisions going to decide our area is too high-risk of flooding again? Where do we live while parts of the house are fixed? What if mould takes hold and every wall has to go?
“There are people lobbying for buy backs and relocating our town to another area. Is my home now completely uninsurable and has the value now dropped to rock bottom?”
Like many locals, Ms Dann said she’s feeling insecure about the future and isn’t sure whether to begin repairs or wait for more information from authorities.
“Clarification by someone who actually knows what is going on needs to happen,” she said.
“People are scared. These are our homes and some that have lived here all their lives are frightened of what’s to come. How do we keep rebuilding when no one seems to have any answers?
“There’s anger and frustration building. It’s time to address the community and provide reassurance so we can confidently move forward.”
The post ‘Angry and frustrated’: Weeks on from devastating flooding, Lismore locals are still left in the dark appeared first on realestate.com.au.
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- Source: https://www.realestate.com.au/news/angry-and-frustrated-weeks-on-from-devastating-flooding-lismore-locals-are-still-left-in-the-dark/
