Northern NSW State of Play 2023: seven days out from the first anniversary of that catastrophic unnatural disaster, the Lismore & Northern Rivers Floods of 2022

⚡️⚡️NEWS FLASH ⚡️⚡️We are just about to hit the 1 year anniversary since the #LismoreFloods & just 1 person has been offered a buyback leaving 6999 people in limbo. My son & I were rescued from partners home (pic below). My partner has not even received a phone call #nswpol #fail pic.twitter.com/duPLUb7bY7

— Eddie Lloyd (@worldzonfire) February 19, 2023

 

The Guardian, 20 February 2023:

In February the hills and valleys of the New South Wales northern rivers are green and lush and fertile in the late summer sun. There is brightness in the madly proliferating tropical flora, radiance in the golden hour of the evening.

In the towns the mud has gone, mostly, and the smell too has faded; a semblance of normality returned to the main streets. As the foliage has returned, the devastation of the 2022 floods is more hidden now; the scale of what happened. The people who are changed.

As the anniversary of the disaster approaches, along with the cyclone season, for those left in the flood’s wake the impact is still unfolding. When the flood waters receded a year ago, for many, the disaster was only beginning.

“You could hazard a guess that something like 15 to 20,000 people were impacted,” says Professor James Bennett Levy from the University of Sydney Centre for Rural Health. “I would say there’s been huge collective trauma as well as individual trauma.”

“If I am doing a community event,” says Naomi Vaotuua, recovery and resilience officer for the Red Cross, “I will literally have grown men crying in my arms because it’s a cloudy day and they thought they were doing alright but they have been triggered.”

Kerry Pritchard, coordinator of recovery Hub 2484 in Murwillumbah, says: “I guess what is surfacing now is more residual complex trauma. We feel like we are still very much in the middle of it, at the coalface of supporting people. That is both in terms of rebuilding in a physical sense and also healing from that traumatic event.”

The northern rivers floods were Australia’s biggest natural disaster since Cyclone Tracy in 1974. It was the second-costliest event in the world for insurers in 2022, and the most expensive disaster in Australian history. Many residents had found premiums unaffordable and had no insurance at all.

The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC), funded by the federal and NSW governments, is currently assessing over 6,000 flood-impacted residences for buyback, raising or retrofit.

A survey released this month by Southern Cross University revealed that nine months after the event, at the end of 2022, almost 52% of flood victims were living in the shells of homes that had flooded; 26% were living in temporary accommodation such as caravans, sheds or pods, or with friends or family; 18% were living in insecure accommodation such as tents or temporary rentals; and 4% were no longer living in the region.

The departure of thousands of locals is one of the things that broke the heart of city councillor and executive director of Resilient Lismore, Elly Bird. “They are disconnected from their community and the people they went through that experience with and disconnected from our recovery journey and support. They are probably having a hard time,” Bird says.

Hanabeth Luke, senior lecturer in science and engineering at Southern Cross University, and one of the researchers behind the survey, said she was “shocked to see the low, low levels of mental health. Twenty percent of people said they were coping with the stresses and challenges of recovery and 60% said they were not coping.”

It is the housing uncertainty causing mental health strain, Luke says; the stress of “not being able to move forward, making do without a clear plan”. People live in substandard dwellings while they wait on government assessments or insurance payouts, not knowing whether to fix a house or if they might get a buyback. People camp out in caravans outside dilapidated abandoned houses, houses they are still paying mortgages and rates for. Families squeeze into a single motel room where they are not allowed to cook or have their pets.

Up until last month, the Koori Kitchen was still serving around around 700 free meals a day at Browns Creek car park in Lismore, says Koori Mail general manager Naomi Moran. It was forced to close as the council wanted the car spaces back to help support local business recovery.

These things take their toll.

“What has been found is that the more you were likely to have been scared of injury or death, the higher the likelihood of PTSD,” says Bennett Levy. “Similarly, the more extensive the inundation the more likelihood of significant mental health issues. If we go back to the data we can say that the people who are displaced from home for more than six months are at very high risk of PTSD.”

Pritchard sees the data borne out in real life. “A year out and people are just worn down, they’re exhausted, they’re losing hope and just can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re seeing a lot of suicidal ideation.” People who have always worked hard and supported themselves find themselves having to ask for help, she says. “There are a lot of feelings of shame and impotency around that.”

Those who could afford insurance are now coming to the end of the 52 weeks of temporary accommodation paid for by their insurers. For those locals, there is anxiety about whether they will get into the 11 pod villages built by Resilience NSW across the region. The villages aim to house 1,800 people for up to three years. Another 300 people are still in emergency accommodation…..

Read the full article here.

Southern Cross University, New Southern Cross study reveals ongoing housing and mental health challenges for flood-affected, 7 February 2023:

A new Southern Cross University survey has shown almost 50 per cent of Northern Rivers flood victims were still displaced nine months after the devastating floods and landslides of 2022.

The survey, conducted by Southern Cross researchers in the latter months of last year, aimed to gain a better understanding of the ongoing struggles faced by flood-affected communities. The results paint a stark picture.

Of the 800 survey respondents, 52 percent were back living in a home that had flooded, while 26 per cent were either living in temporary accommodation such as caravans, sheds or pods, or with friends and family. A staggering 18 per cent of people reported they were living in ‘other’ insecure or crisis accommodation such as tents or temporary rentals and four per cent were no longer living in the region.

One fifth of respondents reported it was hard to find out what support was available to them, suggesting insufficient variety in information channels used to communicate with flood-affected residents. Additionally, nearly one third of insured survey respondents reported being ineligible for an insurance payout, and many cited excessive bureaucracy as a major barrier to accessing funding for recovery efforts. Survey respondents had to fill out an average 6-8 forms each to receive any financial assistance.

The Insurance Council of Australia estimates the cost of the 2022 east coast floods to be around AUD $5 billion in insurance damages. The Southern Cross survey results showed that while the most common cost of the flood was between $201,000-$500,000 to each respondent, the most common maximum amount received at the time of completing the survey was a tenth of that, at $21,000-$50,000.

"The findings of this survey are a sobering reminder of the ongoing impact of the floods on the Northern Rivers community," said lead researcher Dr Hanabeth Luke.

“Flooding has affected dozens of rural and urban communities around the country and continues to do so, most recently in Western Australia. There are important learnings from this that can guide us and others to be better prepared next time,” she said.

Elly Bird, Executive Director of Resilient Lismore – a community organisation and partner in the survey – said "just 20 per cent of respondents report they are coping with the stresses and challenges of recovering from the floods, and more than 80 per cent agree that community hubs have been essential to their recovery.

“Nearly 60 per cent of respondents still need help with access to tradespeople, and more than 45 per cent require access to building materials. This is holding up the recovery and needs to be addressed urgently.”

Many respondents reported not ‘being able to plan’ as a significant challenge.

The majority (96 per cent) of survey respondents saw community preparedness as most important for mitigating future events, with engineering solutions receiving a lower level of support than all other options.

"This study is a crucial tool in the ongoing efforts of our community to build back. Tapping into the experiences of those affected will help shape services and streamline processes and hold us in better stead for future events,” said Ms Bird.

Download the survey results here [PDF]

A year on and people still don’t know what the Government is going to do.

The NSW Gov has failed the Northern Rivers.

— Donatello (@Donatello_Oz) February 20, 2023

https://youtu.be/vfAF60gjnMA

NORTHERN RIVERS NSW STATE OF PLAY JANUARY 2023: in 39 days time it will be exactly one year since a catastrophic extreme flood devastated Lismore

 

As this sad milestone approaches for Lismore residents it must often feel as though the pain will never stop.

ABC News, 18 January 2023:

The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW says it has received dozens of complaints about power bills issued for unoccupied flood-affected homes & businesses on the state's Far North Coast.

Lismore business owner Anne Walker said she had not used her business premises since it was flooded in February 2022, but months later she received messages from her retailer that said she owed more than $700.

"The texts were coming in saying if I didn't pay this amount, they were going to discontinue my electricity, which is ironic because there was no electricity," she said.

Ms Walker spoke to her provider in October to address the issue, but it took until last week to be resolved.

"It was very stressful — extremely stressful," she said.

The ombudsman's office recorded 55 complaints from the Northern Rivers since the start of September, including 28 from the Lismore area.

"Often there's no resident there, the property is not occupied and, of course, the billing doesn't reflect the fact that," said ombudsman Janine Young.

"[There is] either no usage or, where there is some usage, it's overestimated."

Estimated bills to be reviewed

Residents who spoke to the ABC said the incorrect bills they received were based on estimates of their usage.

This occurs when a meter reader is unable to access a property to record the energy usage, so an estimated bill is issued by the energy provider.

In the case of a situation that has led to vastly reduced energy usage, or no usage at all, Ms Young said the rules for bill estimates needed to be reviewed.

"When estimates are done, the rules allow an estimated bill based on the same period the prior year, or on what a comparable customer might be," she said.

"When there's been floods & there's been no usage, if you're getting an estimate based on the prior year, that's completely wrong.

"Those rules have to be looked at."

Customers should first try to resolve any dispute with their retailer, but those left dissatisfied could turn to Ms Young's office for help, she said.

"We've had outcomes where we've got the bill waived, where we've had the daily supply charges waived as well," Ms Young said.

"The retailer is much more aware of the customer circumstances & when it's likely that the property can be again inhabited — if it can be."

No meters, no power

Adrian Walsh from Broadwater said he received an estimated usage bill of about $800, despite not having power after the flood.

"When I first rang up & complained [to the retailer] ... their solution was to pay the bill & perhaps I could claim it back later," he said.

"I wasn't really in the mood for that."

Bungawalbin's Keely Patch said metering equipment damaged by the floods was still not working in her area.

Despite having only a single working power point in her home, Ms Patch said she was sent estimated usage bills that totalled $800.

"If estimated bills are based off previous usages, that kind of gets taken out of the picture when, for months, there was no usage at all," Ms Patch said.

"Since the bills have come in, I've only been running a fridge & some lights & that's pretty much all I've got."

The ABC heard from people who were experiencing similar issues across a range of energy retailers.

In a statement, Origin Energy said it was committed to supporting customers affected by floods…...

Red Energy said it stopped billing & debt collection activities in the aftermath of the floods while it assessed the situation…….

Exclusive: Only one-fifth of the $1.6bn promised to flood-ravaged communities in the Northern Rivers region of NSW has been paid out by the Perrottet government, new data reveals. @australian https://t.co/SAmCfpvdxe

— Max Maddison (@maxmaddison) January 18, 2023

....Eleven months ago, an unprecedented deluge swept across the eastern seaboard, inundating towns across southeast Queensland and northern NSW, in one of the worst recorded flooding disasters in the nation’s history.

With communities such as Woodburn, Kyogle and Nimbin in the northeastern corner of NSW facing a monumental rebuild, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet vowed not a dollar would be spared in the recovery effort, saying those who had lost homes were a primary concern.

But of the $1.6bn promised by the government in May last year, Service NSW data reveals only $322.2m has been distributed eight months later.

Inordinately high numbers of grants had been ruled ineligible by the government, with more than 67 per cent of small business grants rejected.

South Lismore cafe owner Tony Zammit said his experience in the aftermath of the floods had been positive, but he had faced issues applying for the small grants program later on, with multiple applications green-lit by Service NSW staff before being subsequently rejected.

“Early on they were helpful but as time went on it became daunting. By the end, honest claims and applicants were treated as criminals,” Mr Zammit, the owner of The Sassy Bean cafe, said.

One near-$50,000 claim was deemed ineligible by Service NSW because assessors could not verify an $1100 electrician’s bill, he said. When he attempted to resubmit his claim, Mr Zammit was told he could not submit any of the same receipts as they had all been deemed fraudulent.

More than 80 per cent of rental support applications have been declined, while of special disaster grants available to farmers and primary producers, only $116m of $302m claimed has been paid out, despite 86 per cent of applications being approved or rejected.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke warned in May last year the government had an “obligation” to ensure the proper processes were in place to filter out fraudulent grant applications. The NSW government’s independent 2022 flood inquiry noted concerns among flood-impacted farming communities that there were “onerous processes for accessing grants, and for submitting development applications”.

An upper house inquiry reached similar conclusions, finding a lack of streamlined grants processes meant applicants were repeatedly interviewed, “leading to frustration and trauma”, while a lack of assessors on the ground “delayed the rollout of grants”…..