NEWS
Northern Rivers NSW –Woodburn By Hollie Mariconte After being hit by two floods, facing months of grey skies and wet weather, four months later we can see the towns of Northern Rivers have made some progress. Woodburn was severely affected by these floods. A town of hundreds of houses; there were only five or six that were not damaged. Some residents have made progress at home with the approval of claims by their insurance companies; others unfortunately remain as empty shells. The hard reality is that people cannot afford to rebuild immediately. They will chip away one task at a time. Michelle and her mother Pat, residents of Woodburn sadly lost both their houses as the floods came through. When Pat was told that she would be evacuated, she packed a suitcase to spend the night, and she did not think the floods would come up to the second story. In a last-minute decision she grabbed the ashes of her husband and son, and how fortunate that she did. There was nothing salvageable in Pat’s house except a rose bush she bought to remember her
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husband. It sat in its pot on the balcony covered with swamp water - it is still alive. It was a beautiful message of hope for Pat to continue and stay strong. For Michelle, the pain of the floods has not yet caught up, as she still mourns the loss of her father who unfortunately passed away shortly before the floods hit. Many other family members have also been affected by the floods, it’s very difficult to rebuild with so many of them in the same boat.
“The Woodburn Hub has been a fantastic base for all the people in the town. They are able to register for caravans and many other services.” Fortunately, Michelle and Pat had put their names on a list with Resilience NSW to receive Caravans so they could park in their yards while trying to rebuild. These caravans will make the construction process easier for the two, being closer to home. There’s also comfort in knowing home is right there.
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