EASTERN FLOOD DISASTER - LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE TRAGEDY, HEARTBROKEN SURVIVORS RETURN TO THEIR RAVAGED HOMES TO START REBUILDING THEIR LIVES

- Michael Crooks

Standing in the living room of his home in East Lismore, as mud-brown water sloshed up toward his knees, Kenny Gaffney dialled triple-0 and the State Emergency Service but got no answer. His wife Tina was holding their 11-month-old daughter Pia in one hand and a phone in the other, trying to reach anyone. Outside their home loomed a growing disaster: the street was a surging river beneath torrential rain.

“I looked out the window and there was a guy in a canoe, towing another canoe behind him,” Gaffney, a chef, tells WHO. “He was yelling out, ‘Anyone need help?’ And I banged on the window because if I opened the door more water would gush in. And he heard me. He took us and our dog in his canoes. We were so lucky he came along.”

In a week of darkness, such rays of hope have saved lives and brought devastated communities together. From February 28 in south-east Queensland and northern NSW, at least 18 people have died in catastrophic flooding that has left thousands homeless. In Queensland, 12 people perished in regions from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast. In NSW, Lismore saw its flood record broken as Wilsons River climbed 2m over the 12.27m peak of its 1954 deluge, forcing families onto their roofs.

“I’m feeling numb” – LEAH HARRIS

At press time, many regions, including in greater Sydney, where at least another two people have died, were still enduring wild weather. But from the time of the tragic flooding to its heart-wrenching aftermath, locals in all regions have rallied.