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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 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. 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.
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. The volunteers at the hub work hard with external organisations to provide the town with food, clothing, furniture and essential items to regain some form of normality back.
Krystal, who is one of the hub coordinators, has become a role of event coordinator, manager and councillor since volunteering in the hub four months ago. She described the Hub as an escape for people saying that a happy and positive atmosphere assists in keeping the community in high spirits. Krystal said: “People feel comfortable coming in, they like to sit down and have a cuppa and chat to everyone.” Jodie, a mother of three and a resident of Woodburn, frequents the Woodburn Hub for supplies. Her family also benefited from receiving a caravan to help their living situation. Jodie has children with special needs and being closer to the home they share helps them to process and feel safe in an environment they are familiar with. Sadly, the family has lost everything they own and need to start their life from scratch. Jodie and her children lived in a community housing home managed by NCCH (North Coast Community housing). They have been fantastic with the progress of the reconstruction to get the family back in.
Image by Hollie Maricontie
John McKenna, the CEO of North Coast Community Housing said that NCCH lost more than 76 of the properties in the area, plus some 40 leases and their office that was located in Lismore. Fortunately, they were able to resettle all their tenants to some of their other vacant properties and emergency housing after this disaster.
Image by Hollie Maricontie
North Coast Community housing has paired up with Resilience Australia to build temporary villages for floodaffected residents. All available crown land in the region has been assessed and selected for these village locations. To date, there will be up to nine sites that will be managed by community housing providers in several locations, with more possibilities to be added in the coming weeks. Supporting up to 25,000 households with the 350 million dollars invested in temporary modular homes.
The Wollongbar site, just outside Lismore, currently houses 35 residents in the 25 Minderoo pods donated by Andrew Forrest Minderoo, and a number of 1-bedroom residential modules renovated by Cessnock correction services. Hutchinson builders have also jumped on board to help build modular houses. Eventually there will be up to 256 modular homes available at this site, which will also include two or three bedrooms, as at this time the village is currently only able to accommodate singles or couples.
Image by Hollie Maricontie
NCCH has staff and case workers on site 7-days a week who work hard to create a village atmosphere and community among the residents. In the hope of facilitating their transition by involving them in activities similar to those preceding the floods, they have also created an ‘Extra Village’ newsletter that comes out every week. This contains updates on the village, what’s happening around town and recipes to inspire different ways of cooking in small quarters.
However, there are still many displaced post flood families living in tents and trying to survive with the options that are available to them. For Woodburn resident Shane McIntyre, living in a ‘tent city’ on his friend’s property with his three children is his only option at this point. After losing his rental in the floods, his wife recently had a breakdown due to stress and flood traumas. Shane is now unemployed and taking care of his 12, 14 and 4-yo alone. He hopes with time that an affordable rental will become available. He is currently looking for more stable and affordable accommodation to put on his friend’s property.
Image by Hollie Maricontie
There is light at the end of the tunnel for some residents of these towns – sadly the nightmare will continue for many people for years to come. We can only hope that more help and options become available as soon as possible.
Image Credit: Hollie Mariconte
