Life is still a long way from returning to normal in many parts of the North Rivers affected by the floods in New South Wales.
Key points:
- Three months later, Northern Rivers residents are still facing the aftermath of the floods
- With some communities still isolated, helicopters are carrying supplies
- A mental health worker says a series of natural disasters and the pandemic had made it a “difficult” time.
In Huonbrook, inside Byron Shire, supplies are delivered by helicopter once every fortnight.
The only access road has been razed, and residents have built a walkway that allows them to go back and forth to a makeshift parking lot on the other side.
Huonbrook resident Jaye Dunlop said it was like being “trapped in paradise.”
“The first track was a small initiative of the Australian Army and the Fiji Army,” he said.
“They built a few bridges, but they zigzagged down the creek and the second flood took them away.
Jaye Dunlop has helped organize the services her community needs to survive in isolation. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
“Some local residents have built a goat track over the landslide, so it ‘s risky, but it works.
“We’ve all had to buy cars on the other side, so we just have to walk down the goat path and drive into town.”
A helicopter drops off supplies to a property in Huonbrook. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
But bulk items like gas bottles need to be shipped.
Dunlop has been found as a liaison officer for some 20 homes that remain isolated.
“We had telephone contact from the top of the ridge and I was able to contact some of the community-led crisis operations and they were flying in private descent,” he said.
“Everything flowed and then Resilience NSW came in and at first it was a little slow and awkward.
“You would find someone you could talk to, tell your story, and in five days they would be replaced by someone else.
“So it’s hard to relive it every time.”
Get organized
Roberta Jones has lived in the area for over 30 years.
He said the successive floods this year have had a spectacular effect on the landscape.
Roberta Jones [second from left] and its neighbors are repairing a road damaged by the floods. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
“We could just take the destruction, the total destruction, little by little,” Ms. Jones said.
“We couldn’t mentally face what could happen in our valley.”
But he said it was getting better every day and more organized.
“We shop online,” Ms. Jones said.
“He was taken to a shed in Mullumbimby and then picked up by helicopter.
“What’s really good is that people really listen to our needs and then help us, which is great.”
Post-flood mud
The rural sector in the region is struggling to recover.
It is possible that the flood waters have decreased, but the constant rain has since caused many properties to remain a muddy mess.
Tuncester dairy farmer Paul Weir lost more than 100 cattle when water swept his farm on the outskirts of Lismore on 28 February.
Paul Weir can sell the rest of his flock after fighting the wet weather. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
It is now being considered whether to sell the rest of his herd and close his farm for the next 12 months.
“With this rain we don’t have any winter food, the grass just makes mud, the cows just do everything and the grass doesn’t grow,” Weir said.
“What we have planted is rotting. It is really discouraging.
“Our veterinary bills are high. We have cows suffering from mastitis, lameness.
“Just by looking at the cows and where our business can go, I’m contemplating selling the cows and leaving it sitting.”
Mental health concerns
Steve Carrigg has traveled the region in recent years in his role as leader of the recovery team for the North NSW Local Health District.
With a background in mental health, he had seen many concerns.
Steve Carrigg is concerned about the mental health of flood-affected communities. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
“We had our worst forest fire on record, and now we have the worst flooding we’ve ever had,” Carrigg said.
“Add a pandemic to this, it’s really stretching everyone’s ability to cope.
“It’s really a challenge, and I think what we need to prepare for is that it’s going to take a while.”
Three months after the floods, the Richmond River is still chocolate brown. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)
Meanwhile, on the coast, the floodwaters continue to flow into the Pacific Ocean from the Richmond River to Ballina.
Some of the area’s normally beautiful beaches are still full of rubble, and cautious surfers head higher up the coast to chase the waves in cleaner waters.
Three months later, the catastrophic floods continue to affect all parts of the northern rivers, from the mountains to the sea.
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