NEWS
Northern Rivers NSW - Recovery By Hollie Mariconte I’ve talked to people to better understand how they feel right now, and many are worried about where they’re going to be next week. Some residents who owned their homes returned to them, regardless of the state in which they remained. They pitched tents in their yards or camped inside their empty, damp homes. With nowhere else to go, this is really their only option. Two months after severe flooding ravaged the towns of Northern Rivers NSW, people are still living in tents, cars, garages and emergency housing. This is the harsh reality of what people are going through and will continue to endure for many months. Perhaps for many years to come! If you’d never been to these towns before and had to drive through them now, you’d probably say: “What floods?” The rubble has been cleared, the houses have been washed down, and some businesses are opening up, however if you look at it more closely, you would realise that the houses are empty, the interiors have been stripped back to framing, there are practically no people and the towns have lost their hustle and bustle. It’s a very sad situation to see when you know what these towns looked like before.
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Some people who were tenants received only a three-week stay in emergency housing. If the rental crisis before the floods wasn’t severe enough, it is now. There are simply not enough housing options, and the possibilities that arise are far from an affordable price range, with some rentals charging $750 - $1,000 per week! Pensioners who spent their entire life savings on campers and caravans lost in the floods, have nowhere to go from here. They have literally lost everything they own and depend on a fortnightly pension to survive. How are these people supposed to afford rent in this current economy? Grants and charitable organisations have distributed funds to the people who qualified. Some people used the money to purchase used
“This disaster is fa without affordable h these residents of t are literally
