The aftermath of Northern Rivers February-March 2022 floods revealed a failure of planning and emergency response, NSW Upper House inquiry told

Locals rescuing locals
Lismore March 2022
IMAGE: ABC News, 7 March 2022

AAP General Newswire, 30 May 2022:

A failure to plan was behind "devastation" caused by severe flooding to towns across northern NSW, an inquiry has been told.

Northern NSW towns hit by this year's devastating floods have been left "exposed" by the emergency, which highlighted a housing crisis, telco failures and government missteps in the region, an inquiry has been told.

A NSW parliamentary committee is looking into the official response to the flood catastrophe of February and April that struck primarily in the Northern Rivers region.

At least 10 people died in the wild weather that forced thousands of residents to flee their homes and left many towns in the region severely damaged.

Federal and state authorities have faced criticism over their handling of the emergency, including their response times, preparedness and recovery.

On Monday, Byron Shire Council mayor Michael Lyon told the inquiry the floods revealed an "inability to deal" with a housing crisis which existed before the crisis.

"We've put planning proposals (in on) tiny homes, caps on short-term letting, we've been attempting this for several years, we haven't been able to get those through," Mr Lyon told the inquiry, sitting in Ballina.

"What that meant was that the exacerbation caused by the floods, and that existing crisis, left us really exposed and it's made things so much harder in the aftermath of the floods.

"If you fail to plan then the plan is to fail and I think that's what we saw in a number of areas as the result of this devastation."

He also hit out at the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, saying the agency failed at times, especially on setting up evacuation centres.

He pointed to one evacuation centre in the town of Mullumbimby having to be "informally stood up" as DCJ "didn't really make the effort to get in there".

"That left residents stranded with nowhere to go," he said.

Telstra was also in Mr Lyon's firing line for the communications network remaining down for weeks during and after the floods.

He said the telco giant had serious questions to answer over the way its network was designed and whether its privatisation contributed to its performance.

"I'm interested to know how that can be improved so that we are ... more resilient for the future," he said.

Ballina Shire Council mayor Sharon Cadwallader, in her evidence, said residents knew the area faced a flood risk, but "mitigation money" had been inadequate.

Ms Cadwallader also cited communication problems during the crisis which left the area isolated, labelling what happened as "totally inadequate" .

The situation was so dire, she said, "runners" had to go between evacuation centres and people had to cross the border to Queensland to get messages out.

Rebecca Woods, chief executive of the Bogal Local Aboriginal Lands Council, testified that in Coraki -- a small town at the juncture of the Richmond and Wilson Rivers -- flood-hit residents had been taken in by others, resulting in overcrowding.

Ms Woods said the practice had led to the "tragedy" in the town of two and three families living in houses meant for six people.

The upper house inquiry continues in Lismore on Tuesday.

So Scott Morrison is unhappy that flood ravaged Northern NSW is not servilely grateful for the announcements he had made so far in March 2022?

 

The situation in Northern NSW, March 2022

A group of seven women, who drove 700km from Lismore, set up stall outside Kirribilli House on Monday morning IMAGE: Daily Mail Australia, 21 March 2022

ABC News, 21 March 2022:

Angry Lismore residents have dumped wreckage from their flooded houses outside Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s official Sydney residence to call for climate action.

The protesters brought pieces of their homes, toys and other belongings which were destroyed by the deluge that devastated the Northern Rivers region, and dumped them outside the gates of Kirribilli House.

They held signs including: “Morrison your climate mega flood destroyed our homes”; “Lismore now, where next?”; and “Your climate inaction killed my neighbour”.

Lismore resident Kate Stroud said she wanted Mr Morrison to "understand the level of loss our community has been through".

“Imagine piles 50 times this size outside every house,” she said.

The truck was prevented from entering Kirribilli House premises.(ABC News: Phoebe Bowden)

Lismore resident Melveena Martin said people were angry Mr Morrison did not hold a public appearance where residents could share their stories.

The Prime Minister, who was in Queensland when the protest took place, travelled to Lismore after the floods but kept to a schedule of private appearances.

“To think that our Prime Minister came to our town and wouldn't even speak to us and hid from us is absolutely deplorable,” Ms Martin said.

Another resident, Koudra Falla, said: “I had to swim under my house at 3am in the morning in hectic rapids because we could hear our neighbours calling for help.”

In the hard-hit region of northern NSW, it is estimated that more than 3,000 homes in the Lismore local government area have been assessed as "not habitable".

At the height of the crisis, many residents waited for hours on roofs, surrounded by floodwaters, due to a lack of emergency personnel and equipment…..

The Guardian, 20 March 2022:

Residents in Lismore have been left with no choice but to move back into their houses that have been deemed uninhabitable, with some sleeping on swags in mouldy rooms without electricity, as they are unable to find safe accommodation three weeks after floods devastated the town.

Empty mobile homes wait to accommodate Lismore residents whose houses were damaged or destroyed in this month’s floods in the NSW northern rivers

In South Lismore – a low-lying part of the town that bore the brunt of historic flooding this year and an area well known for attracting residents seeking affordable housing – Guardian Australia spoke with multiple residents who had evacuated town following the floods but had returned to their homes in recent days.

The State Emergency Service had deemed more than 3,600 homes across the New South Wales northern rivers region as uninhabitable and on Friday some residents were living in homes that had been as assessed as such.

In one case, a homeowner had returned to their property which had been condemned for demolition after being assessed as structurally unsound, and had warning tape erected at its entrance, however they did not want to be interviewed.

Some homes in South Lismore were swept off their foundations, but they remained intact, despite needing renovations and structural repairs.

Residents in Lismore have been left with no choice but to move back into their houses that have been deemed uninhabitable, with some sleeping on swags in mouldy rooms without electricity, as they are unable to find safe accommodation three weeks after floods devastated the town.

In South Lismore – a low-lying part of the town that bore the brunt of historic flooding this year and an area well known for attracting residents seeking affordable housing – Guardian Australia spoke with multiple residents who had evacuated town following the floods but had returned to their homes in recent days.

The State Emergency Service had deemed more than 3,600 homes across the New South Wales northern rivers region as uninhabitable and on Friday some residents were living in homes that had been as assessed as such.

In one case, a homeowner had returned to their property which had been condemned for demolition after being assessed as structurally unsound, and had warning tape erected at its entrance, however they did not want to be interviewed.

Some homes in South Lismore were swept off their foundations, but they remained intact, despite needing renovations and structural repairs.

Stories of residents living in unsafe housing follow revelations in Guardian Australia that motor homes intended for Lismore residents whose houses were inundated in the floods were lying empty because linen and water sources had not been organised, while housing “pods” promised by the NSW government were yet to materialise.

On Crown Street, the Lee family’s home was deemed uninhabitable after flooding rose to about chest height on its elevated top floor. The family of four hosted four neighbours on the Sunday that waters rose, and all eight had to be rescued by a friend who had a boat on Monday 28 February.

After evacuating, brothers Ryan and Evan have slept at a variety of places, including at their grandparents’ home and on friends’ couches. Their parents also leaned on family and friends for accommodation.

While they were able to rely on people who opened their homes to them, countless other residents also required temporary accommodation.

The Lee family home on Crown Street, South Lismore. Photograph: David Maurice Smith/Oculi

And so on Monday, after weeks of living in cramped conditions with other flood evacuees, the Lee family made the difficult decision to return to their home, despite its status as uninhabitable.

“There was nowhere else left to go, that is the only reason why we’re back here,” said Evan, a 20-year-old student, who was sleeping on an old fold-out camping bed made of steel, less than a metre from his mother, who was sleeping on a blow-up mattress.

Ryan, a 21-year-old labourer, was sleeping on a swag in the next room, while their father, Andy, was sleeping at his brother’s house due to a back problem.

While water was running, the Lees were unsure if it was safe, so were drinking bottled water. The house relied on a portable generator for electricity, and its mountain of flood-ruined possessions in the front yard was yet to be collected.

“I’ve got no idea when it will be collected, but hopefully it’s within the next week because it’s starting to smell pretty bad,” Ryan said.

Outside, the smell of dried dirt and sewage lingered. Inside, water damage and mould was evident. It was hot inside the rooms, and flood damage left it largely unprotected from the elements.

The family had been told it would take more than six months for their home to be rebuilt and safe for them to move back in…... [my yellow highlighting]

News.com.au, 21 March 2022:

More than 65 per cent of renters living in a coastal Northern NSW electorate are experiencing rental stress and that was before unprecedented floods tore through communities.

Almost 3400 homes have been declared uninhabitable and a further 6708 were inundated by floodwaters during the floods, State Emergency Services Commissioner, Carlene York confirmed earlier this week.

More than 1000 people are still living in emergency accommodation and 134 remain in evacuation centres, while thousands take refuge in the homes in families and friends.

In the electorate of Page – inclusive of Lismore and Woodburn – 68 per cent of renters already had difficulty meeting their rental costs. While in the neighbouring electorate of Richmond – including Ballina, Mullumbimby and Tweed Heads – 44 per cent of renters are experiencing housing stress.

A surge in regional rental prices – in part driven by tree changes during coronavirus lockdowns – as well as stagnant wage growth are creating a housing affordability crisis.

Tony Davies, CEO of Social Futures has been working on the ground with north coast NSW communities in the aftermath of the flood crisis.

“Sleeping rough is the tip of the homelessness iceberg,” Mr Davies said of the region with an average income twenty per cent less than the rest of the state. “Rental stress has been very bad and worsening for some time”.

Just three per cent of housing stock in the Northern Rivers region can be categorised as community or affordable housing.

“We had people camped in camp grounds and getting evicted during the holiday season,” Mr Davies said of the situation before floods hit.

In the towns of Lismore and Murwillumbah, entire businesses that employ a number of locals have now been decimated by floodwaters.

“All of these people that have lost houses and jobs,” Mr Davies said. “There are people who may have been lucky to live on a hill but their employment is gone”.

He described people in their 80s living in cars and cancer patients without a roof over their head.

A group of 150 organisations – including corporates, unions, community and faith organisations – have written a joint letter to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg calling on him to allocate social housing investment into the upcoming budget…… [my yellow highlighting]

The 'new normal' Northern Rivers road travel experience for many.

The rain event that flooded Lismore collapsed landscapes.
It shattered hillsides. Roads broke apart and fell down valleys.
Hillsides fell on houses.

This thread gives a glimpse of the cost of inaction on #ClimateDisruption

1/ pic.twitter.com/SLFum4Lk2k

— Annie Kia (@AnnieKia) March 19, 2022

Australian Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison’s Response, March 2022

Sky News, 21 March 2022:

Scott Morrison has defended the federal government's support measures in the wake of catastrophic flooding as he described the politicisation of natural disasters as unhelpful.

Mr Morrison's comments on Monday came amid protests outside Kirribilli House, the Prime Minister's official Sydney residence, over the government's slow response to the flood crisis in northern New South Wales.

"I think the politicisation of natural disasters is very unfortunate. Everyone is just working together to do the best they probably can to support people who are in terrible need," he said.

"My government's doing that, the state governments are doing that. Local councils are doing that. We're all working together to help people. And I don't think the politicisation of that is a helpful theme." …. [my yellow highlighting]

This "politicisation" response - from a politician whose personal income (over $10,000 per week plus free prime ministerial accommodation at two residential addresses, staff, car & subsidized travel) and net worth places him in the top 20% of Australian income earners - was apparently aimed at residents in a flood ravaged regional city which on a relative social-economic disadvantage decile scale would rank as a 4 (disadvantaged) out of 10 (least disadvantaged). In a flood ravaged region where an est. 25% of all people have an income between $0-$450 a week and another est. 30% would likely have been earning somewhere between $451-$800 a week pre-pandemic and pre-mega flood.

This is a man who clearly has no idea of what it is like to deal with trauma, loss, grief, homelessness, uncertainty and yes, fear. All the while knowing that there is a possibility that the major coastal rivers will flood again this year (perhaps more than once) and that an intransigent prime minister and federal government have no real understanding of this risk.

NSW SES Commissioner admits Perrottet Government's increased efficiency dividends required restructuring to meet operating budget cuts that meant “transformation did result in a reduction in staff” and had harmed “connection and support to units” by 2022

 

In March 2022 the NSW State Emergency Service website shows that SES Northern Zone controls 60 SES Units from the Newcastle-Hunter region up to the NSW-Qld border. 

A total of 28 of those emergency service units are in the roughly 100km wide coastal zone in the north east of the state: Ballina, Broadwater, Casino, Coraki, Kyogle, Lismore City, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah, Tabulam, Tweed Coast, Tweed Heads, Urbenville, Woodburn, Bellingen, Brushgrove, Coffs Harbour City, Copmanhurst, Corindi, Dorrigo, Grafton City, Lawrence, Maclean, Nambucca, Nymboida, Ulmarra, Urunga, Wooli-Yuraygir and Yamba. Units appear to be typically housed in basic one, two to three bay sheds. 

All SES Northern Zone units are under the control of a former member of the Australian Federal Police and current Chief Superintendent, NSW State Emergency Service - from headquarters at 72 Turton Street, Metford NSW 2323 on an industrial estate in the Newcastle region, roughly 404km as the crow flies from Yamba and even further away from Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina, Byron and Tweed local government areas.

The Guardian, 16 March 2022:

State Emergency Service units in some of the hardest-hit flood areas in northern New South Wales had warned the closure of regional offices in 2020 would reduce their ability to respond to natural disasters.

Communication between the SES units and senior levels of the organisation reveals tension about a restructure which was blamed on NSW government budget cuts.

In November 2020, 12 SES units in the Northern Rivers and Richmond valley wrote to the commissioner warning that a restructure “threaten[ed] the continued existence of units … and the future of the service”.

The complaint was spearheaded by the Kyogle SES unit and co-signed by unit commanders including in Ballina, Broadwater, Casino, Coraki, Lismore, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah, and Richmond Tweed – some of the towns worst affected by the recent floods. [my yellow highlighting]

In response, the SES commissioner, Carlene York, conceded that “transformation did result in a reduction in staff” and had harmed “connection and support to units”.

“However this was necessary to meet government savings targets,” she said.

In the 2018 budget, the then NSW treasurer and now premier, Dominic Perrottet, increased the “efficiency dividend” for government departments from 2% to 3%.

Unions warned at the time the measure would cost jobs and hurt services, but the government justified it on the basis it would “reduce back-office costs and focus expenditure where it is needed most”.

The response by the state SES and Australian Defence Force to what authorities describe as a one-in-500-year flood has been sluggish, prompting criticism that local communities were left to conduct their own rescues and clean-up.

If readers are interested in a stroll back through NSW strong wind, storm, flood, and bushfire history from 2016 to the present day they can go to https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/news/ and start scrolling.

UPDATE:

ABC News, 16 March 2022:

We are told from a young age that in a life-threatening situation, we should call triple zero and help will come.

But for hundreds, if not thousands, of northern New South Wales residents, their desperate pleas for help at the height of the floods went unanswered.

Those who still had a dry phone and service to call triple zero were told via a recorded message:

"Emergency Triple Zero in New South Wales is extremely busy due to extreme weather conditions. If you require Police, Fire or Ambulance attendance please stay on the line. For State Emergency Service call 132 500, for non-emergency police assistance call 131 444."

But when they rang the SES number, they were met with another recorded message telling them they would receive a call-back.

For the majority, that vital call-back took several hours, even days.

Communications and Security Commander for the New South Wales Police, Assistant Commissioner Stacey Maloney, said the number of emergency calls received on the morning of Monday, February 28, exceeded any other date on record.

She said the recorded message was played on connection to triple zero to "facilitate a timely response to calls from people requiring emergency assistance".

The SES admitted it was completely over-run, with 374 calls for help in just 30 minutes on Monday morning, and volunteers had to prioritise requests.

By the following day, there had been an estimated 2,000 calls for assistance across the Northern Rivers.

Calls for inquiry into handling of triple zero calls

The State Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, was one of the many residents whose calls for help at the peak of the floods went unanswered.

"That was terrifying for people," she said.

"Triple zero is the last port of call when there's an emergency and if you don't get answered or you get diverted or you get cut off – that just cuts off your lifeline."

Ms Saffin said there needed to be answers about what went wrong to ensure there is not a repeat in future disasters.

"Can you imagine being in a house, in an attic, on a roof, ringing – if you could – and either being cut-off, not getting through, being diverted, that would be just the most terrible feeling," she said.

"I don't know why [it happened], but that's one thing that clearly has to be answered in an inquiry."

Few in the region doubt the death toll would have been catastrophic had it not been for the heroic efforts of civilians in their tinnies, kayaks and jet skis.

After her own rescue, Lismore resident Sally Flannery used social media to collect hundreds of messages for help, that were then triaged and published online to inform the rescue effort.

"I tried to call SES and I couldn't get through and then I never received a call back and I thought, how many people is this happening to?" she said…...

NSW Flood February-March 2022: long wait for flood insurance assessments of damaged properties & independent review of emergency services response

 

Grafton NSW
IMAGE: Sydney Morning Herald, 1 March 2022

The Daily Examiner online, 13 March 2021:

The words on the wooden sign have become a symbol of what the Tucabia couple say they’ve repeatedly faced with their insurer in an attempt to save the two-storey house they’ve owned for 30 years.

They’re one of many flood-hit families that have filled the nearby town of Grafton, with insurance delays causing them to keep extending their temporary accommodation.

All but one hotel in Grafton was running at capacity on Friday – with owners largely attributing that to an influx of emergency service workers and newly homeless flood victims from throughout the region.

The clean and tidy Quality Inn Grafton is a far cry from the horrid stench of Suzanne and David Larkin’s water-edge house some 20 minutes away, which was flooded in water half way up its second floor.

“It’s devastating, there’s no other way to put it,” Ms Larkin said.

“Everything is ruined.”

She said her free-range chickens were cramped in a tiny cage and her rescue dogs were traumatised.

“All that’s sentimental is gone,” she said.

She said most days she had spent hours on hold to her insurance company, AAMI, only to have to explain her situation to a new person each time.

That person kept pushing back the house assessment date, pushing the chances of her home being demolished higher each time.

She said AAMI had agreed to cover their temporary accommodation cost until March 30, but the couple expected they’d live in Grafton up to two more months.

“The government says it’ll give us a rental grant, but have you seen the market around here,” Ms Larkin said.

“Where are the houses?”

It appears they’re not alone.

Quality Inn Grafton owner Janelle Boekman said the majority of her rooms were full of homeless families from nearby towns seeking refuge, and a large portion of them complained of similar delays with insurance companies.

“It seems the companies are prioritising other areas and it’s got a lot of people upset, which is really hard to see,” Ms Boekman said.

Abbey Motor Inn Grafton manager Grant Cornish said he had been turning dozens of people away who were looking for temporary accommodation while waiting on insurers.

“This town is chockers – it could do with a few more hotels at the moment,” he said.

Although frustrating insurance delays were disrupting many lives, insurance expert from Compare the Market Steven Zeller said there was no simple solution.

“Insurers have been inundated with well above 80,000 claims across NSW and Queensland and it’s putting absolute pressure on them,” he said.

“They’re trying to get additional staff to help with the shortage and get assessors out, but they might be isolating due to Covid, there could be difficulty getting out to these areas, there are many reasons.”

Mr Zeller said there was a double whammy of a serious supply shortage that posed challenges for insurers trying to access building materials and tradesman.

“So even when an assessor gets out, you’re likely to experience a delay for several more months to have your property fixed,” he said.

“We’re all in a waiting game here.”

In terms of salvaging homes before it’s too late, Mr Zeller said people could take off damaged carpets and furniture to ease some dampness but could not go “knocking down walls” until the place was assessed.

Suncorp Group, which own AAMI insurance, said it has increased staff to help with the flood response in NSW and Queensland, where it had received more than 32,000 claims.

The most claims came from Lismore, Chinderah and Murwillumbah in NSW and Deagon, Aspley and Everton Park in Queensland.

Suncorp Group CEO Steve Johnston said it had created a new dedicated flood response and recovery team that relied on aerial imagery, real-time data and on the ground insights to direct the right support.

“We recognise the scale of this flooding emergency, and the devastating impact it has had on so many people and communities, many of whom are facing a long road to recovery,” Mr Johnston said.....

NSW flood emergency response scrutinised

AAP General News Wire, 13 March 2022:

NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke says all aspects of the emergency services response to the flood crisis will be examined in an independent review.

An independent review of the NSW government's response to the state's flood crisis will determine what mistakes were made and what can be improved, the emergency services minister says.

"I think we can always do better next time," Step Cooke told Sydney radio 2GB on Monday.

There are now 8000 Australian Defence Force personnel in NSW ensuring supplies reach communities that are still cut off by floodwaters, as well as helping with the massive clean-up operation.

However, there has been criticism of how long it took to deploy troops to help with the crisis and questions are being asked about who is to blame.

SES commissioner Carlene York has also faced questions about why civilian rescue helicopters were left grounded across the state as floodwaters inundated the Northern Rivers.

Ms Cooke says all aspects of the emergency services response will be examined, adding it's a complex issue.

The review will determine why it took so long to get troops on the ground in the Northern Rivers to help thousands of people whose homes were inundated with flood waters.

"The deployment of ADF troops is something that will be considered as part of that review," Ms Cooke said.

"If there are ways that we need to do things differently in the future to ensure that our communities have the maximum amount of notice to prepare and our response is timely and is where it is needed, when it is needed, then that is something that will benefit communities right across NSW."

Ms York says worse than forecast weather explained why civilian rescue helicopters were not called to help with the crisis.

Emergency crews were only expecting minor to moderate flooding in the region; less than had inundated the north coast last year.

"We resourced appropriately on those levels," Ms York said on Sunday.

Instead towns were hit with record floods, including in Lismore where waters were two metres above any event recorded.

Helicopters were meanwhile deployed to areas like Cooma, near the Snowy Mountains, to be on standby for floods that never arrived.

Ms York said the worst of the floods in the Northern Rivers had hit at night when rescue crews were restricted in what they could do.

Meanwhile, the SES has determined 3396 homes are uninhabitable and 6708 were inundated as 120 motor homes were last week on their way to the Northern Rivers to deal with a drastic shortage of accommodation as part of a $551 million housing support package…...