Resilient Lismore Urges Flood-Affected Residents to Access Repair to Return Project

By Robert Heyward

Resilient Lismore is proud to announce the ongoing success of the Repair to Return Project, a vital initiative aimed at supporting homeowners devastated by the 2022 Northern Rivers floods and landslides. This project, supported by the NSW Government, the Diocese of Lismore, the Winsome Soup Kitchen, and the Rotary Club of Goonellabah, has already restored over 600 homes to safe, secure, and liveable conditions—all at no cost to the homeowners. Now, Resilient Lismore is calling on more members of the Northern Rivers community to seek assistance through this program.

Elly Bird, Executive Director of Resilient Lismore, is urging residents still living in flood-damaged homes across the Northern Rivers to reach out for help. “It’s been more than two years since the 2022 floods, and many people are still living in affected homes while trying to carry on with their daily lives. We are deeply committed to partnering with homeowners to understand their individual needs and assist them on their recovery journeys,” Bird said.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every flood-affected home in the region is safe and liveable. That’s why I’m encouraging anyone in need to get in touch with us. We’re dedicated to building a stronger, more resilient Northern Rivers,” she added.

The Repair to Return Project, formerly known as the Two Rooms Project, mobilises professional tradespeople and trained volunteers to restore flood-affected homes using flood-resilient materials.

The comprehensive range of services offered includes:

• Reinstating bathrooms and kitchens
• Electrical support
• Re-sheeting walls
• Installing or repairing stairs for safe access
• Repairing or replacing floors
• Providing lockable windows and doors

In addition to these core services, Resilient Lismore also offers tools and equipment, assistance in sourcing furniture and whitegoods, and referrals to community services such as mental health support, legal assistance, and financial counselling.

One local resident, Carlie Daley from East Lismore, was among those who benefited from the program. With no insurance and ineligible for grants or the home buyback program, Carlie faced an uncertain future until she connected with Resilient Lismore. The organization helped her restore parts of her kitchen, install a new bathroom, and replace damaged glass. “I had no money, so Resilient Lismore really came to my rescue. I’m so thankful because I wanted to live in my house with my kids—they go to school locally, and this is their home,” Carlie said.

“It’s been a challenge to ask for help, but once you realise you’ve got your kids to think about, you find that Resilient Lismore makes it really easy. They’re one of the best sources of help out there, and they’re coming from a place of genuine community support,” she added.

Resilient Lismore is also encouraging local businesses to contribute to the recovery efforts. The organisation welcomes donations of fridges, washing machines, new or near-new bedding and towels, and monetary funds.

“Every donation, no matter the size, makes a significant impact. By coming together, we can help our neighbour’s and strengthen our communities,” Bird emphasised.

Their Stories

Carlie Daley, East Lismore
Carlie Daley, whose family has lived in the region for six generations, bought a house in East Lismore a year before the floods. As a single parent with two children, she had experienced floods before but didn’t anticipate her home being affected given its location. “I bought the house based on where the 1974 flood lines were, and even my dad, who has been through a few floods, thought I’d be fine,” Carlie explained.

On the morning of 28 February 2022, at approximately 6 am, Carlie heard loud banging outside her house. When she opened her front door to investigate, water came streaming into her living room. The water rose to waist height rapidly, and Carlie and her children decided to evacuate. “Everything was floating in the house—it was not good,” Carlie recalled. “I managed to flag down a guy in a boat, and he took us out to Wyrallah Road one by one.”

After spending several months with family, Carlie returned to her home. With no insurance or access to the home buyback program, Carlie sought help from Resilient Lismore, who restored parts of her kitchen, replaced broken glass, and installed a new bathroom. “I had no money, so Resilient Lismore really came to the rescue. I’m so thankful because I wanted to live in my house with the kids—this is their home,” Carlie said.

Duran, Woodburn
Before 2022, Duran had never experienced a flood. When he heard about the impending flood in Woodburn, he packed a bag and left with his dog. After spending 11 days in emergency accommodation, Duran returned to find his home extensively damaged. “The scene was horrendous; it smelled like a pig farm. There was nothing you could do; you couldn’t blame anyone,” Duran said.

Many of Duran’s belongings were unsalvageable, doors and windows were broken, there was no electricity, and a large tree had crashed through his house. “I ended up putting together a makeshift kitchen and had access to a shower and toilet underneath the house. I was quoted over $25,000 to rewire the electricals, so that put me off doing anything for a while,” Duran explained.

Introduced to Resilient Lismore, Duran experienced an almost immediate transformation. After an initial visit, Resilient Lismore returned a week later with supplies, and a local construction business fitted his house with a brand-new kitchen and bathroom. “What Resilient Lismore did was amazing; there is no way in a million years I would have been able to do what they did. It has also allowed my son to come and live with me, which has been wonderful,” Duran said.

Susan, Lismore
Susan lived alone in her idyllic riverfront home, which provided everything she needed—until the 2022 floods caused significant damage to her property. With COVID-19 rampant, Susan moved between emergency accommodations and stayed with friends. When she tried to return to her home, the emotional toll proved overwhelming. “I went back a few times, but every time I tried, I burst into tears,” Susan said.

She began receiving counselling and eventually stayed with her son in Queensland for a period. When Susan returned to Lismore several months later, she connected with Social Futures, who informed her about Resilient Lismore. Initially hesitant to accept help, Susan was moved by the support she received. “I was brought up not to ask for help, so when Resilient Lismore immediately came around with tradespeople, I had nothing but tears of gratitude,” she said.

Within a few months, Resilient Lismore, with the help of tradespeople, built a new deck and stairs, added state-of-the-art dekkoplus wall cladding, and installed a new kitchen and bathroom. Susan hopes others living in flood-affected homes will reach out to Resilient Lismore. “The staff from Resilient Lismore were respectful and kind. I was scared and overwhelmed, but getting in touch with Resilient Lismore motivated and inspired me to move forward with my recovery,” she said.

About Resilient Lismore
Resilient Lismore is a registered charity and community-based organisation that was formed following the 2017 floods in Lismore, NSW. Powered by volunteers, the organisation supports Northern Rivers residents in rebuilding their lives by connecting them with qualified tradespeople, volunteer help, and essential recovery services.

For more local Lismore news, click here.

$928,350 GRANT AWARDED TO CLEAN REMAINING FLOOD WASTE

Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin has announced that the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has awarded Lismore City Council a grant of $928,350. This is to support the ongoing 2022 flood clean-up and recovery work.

“Natural disaster clean-up and recovery is a long-term process. Those with experience of disaster recovery will know that bulky and contaminated waste often remains for some time after the initial clean-up.

“Often this waste isn’t revealed until way down the recovery track so this money is very timely.

“The council has been awarded the grant under Round 2 of the EPA’s Illegal Dumping and Flood Waste Recovery Program, which is designed to help public authorities resolve flood waste issues remaining after the initial clean-up phase, including illegally dumped flood waste and bulky flood waste.

“Lismore City Council will use the grant money to safely remove and dispose of residual fragments of flood waste containing asbestos. The clean-up works will be project managed by the council using specially trained local contractors and are expected to be completed in 2025.

“Significant amounts of hazardous debris were generated by severe flooding events that inundated the Northern Rivers in the early months of 2022.

“The EPA has led several clean-up and recovery programs in the region to ensure waste left behind following the floods is removed safely and efficiently.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said:

“I would like to thank the EPA and State Government for this grant.

“As everyone knows the 2022 natural disaster did a great deal of damage to the natural environment as well as the built environment.

“The grant is specifically intended to cover the removal of flood generated waste containing asbestos that has been found on public land in the Lismore LGA which will make a safer place to live, work and raise a family.

For more 2022 floods news, click here.

Door Knock Survey in Flood Zone – Your story is important

Resilient Lismore Launches Community Survey with Red Cross, Social Futures, Uniting, and The Lismore Chaplaincy Network

Resilient Lismore, in collaboration with Red Cross, Social Futures, Uniting, and The Lismore Chaplaincy Network, is conducting a community survey to gather data on how residents are coping after the 2022 floods. Teams will be knocking on doors in Lismore this week, encouraging those affected to participate.

Why Participate?

If your property was affected by the 2022 floods, your input is invaluable. The data collected will help us understand the community’s progress, inform recovery programs, and enhance flood risk management. We also aim to ensure residents are aware of ongoing recovery support services.

How to Complete the Survey

You can participate in several ways:

• In Person: Complete the survey when our team visits your home.
• By Phone: Call the Resilient Lismore Hub at 0455 218 692 to complete the survey over the phone.
• At the Hub: Visit us at 215 Keen St to fill out the survey in person.
• Online: Fill out the survey on your phone, tablet, or computer using this link.
• Ensure you select your address from the options provided when entering it. The online survey is open until midnight, 12th August 2024.

Thank you for adding your voice! The collected information from the flood zone survey will be shared with the government and other stakeholders to reflect the community’s needs accurately.

For more local Lismore news, click here.

$300,000 funding agreement to help deliver flood resilient land in the Byron Shire

The NSW Government is providing Byron Shire Council $300,000 through the Resilient Lands Program to provide safe, flood resilient land for new housing at the Saddle Road Precinct in Brunswick Heads.

The funding from the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) will allow Council to complete a Structure Plan, Infrastructure Priority Plan, technical studies, and community engagement to investigate suitability for new housing and public infrastructure in the precinct.

Located on the western side of the Pacific Motorway, the site is just five minutes by car to Brunswick Heads and eight to Mullumbimby. It is well above projected flood heights which will provide opportunities for new homes off the flood plain.

Saddle Road is the third site to be identified under the RA’s Resilient Lands Program (RLP). The site is also the first to be identified outside of the Lismore LGA under the program, and has also been flagged in Byron Shire Council’s Residential Strategy as a key site for future residential development.

It follows the recent announcement of 400 new lots in East Lismore and up to 50 new households in the Mount Pleasant Estate at Goonellabah.

While the final number of homes at Saddle Road will be determined following detailed planning and community engagement, based on site-specifications, it is estimated between 500-800 homes could be delivered.

The RLP is accelerating the delivery of new land and housing options, linking with the $700 million Resilient Homes Program (RHP), giving flood impacted homeowners a pathway to move to a safer location.

The RA will work with RHP buyback participants to secure suitable and affordable land and will provide further support to those eligible who wish to relocate their existing homes.

For more information, visit NSW Reconstruction Authority.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“This funding is a win-win for the community and Byron Shire Council.

“Not only will it help to unlock flood-resilient lots for people to build on, it also helps Council and the NSW Government deliver on its promise of more homes for our growing population.

“The land is positioned near existing services and an established community and will provide a beautiful, safe place to live for those affected by the nearby flood plain.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin said:

“The announcement of this third site under the Resilient Lands Program is the first one outside of Lismore.

“Locals communities and Councils can be assured that the wheels of the RLP are starting to turn right across the Northern Rivers.

“This announcement will be followed by others in our local government areas and will see more land become available, giving people accepting buybacks in the Resilient Homes Program a variety of places to choose from.”

Byron Shire Council Mayor Michael Lyon said:

“We are thrilled to receive this initial funding support which will not only benefit members of our community displaced by the natural disasters in 2022, but also address the housing crisis that has existed since before the floods.

“Council can now get on with the important job of structure planning for this site on The Saddle Road and get the land ready for building flood-resilient houses more quickly which is a huge win.

“The work ahead includes an Aboriginal Heritage and Environmental Sensitivity Assessment, a Structure Plan that includes a vision and concept plan for the site, a Planning Proposal to amend Council’s LEP and an Infrastructure Priority Plan that addresses the infrastructure required to support a new community such as roads, sewer and water.

“As these works are progressed, we look forward to working with our community to achieve the best outcomes.”

For more Byron Bay news, click here.

Lismore’s Damaged Structures Demolished for New Facilities

In a significant development for Lismore’s recovery, demolition work has started on eight buildings that were critically damaged during the 2022 flood disaster.

This marks a pivotal step in the city’s efforts to rebuild and revitalise affected areas.

Brett Lee, the Council’s program manager, highlighted the necessity of these demolitions for public safety and the future reactivation of the sites. “These buildings have long served the community, but the extensive damage from the February 2022 natural disaster means it’s time to clear the way for new developments,” he stated.

Demolition activities kicked off last week with the takedown of the old Essential Energy building located at the corner of Ballina Road and Conway Street. The next structures slated for removal include the old Scout Hall on Wilson Street and the Humbley Oval Hockey Club Kiosk.

Plans are also set for the demolition of the toilet block and pumphouse at Lismore Lake, to be replaced by a new modular toilet to serve the lake park patrons.

Furthermore, the weatherboard building at Sam Trimble Oval is due to be replaced with a new facility that includes an accessible toilet with timed locks, a large shade shelter, lockable storage, and utility access. The existing brick amenities block at this location will also undergo upgrades.

At Neilson Park in East Lismore, the canteen or old cricket shed will be razed to make room for a new modular toilet/changeroom. Similarly, the amenities block at Wade Park and McKenzie Park in North Lismore are scheduled for demolition to pave the way for the installation of modern modular toilets.

These developments are part of a broader initiative to not only enhance the infrastructure but also to ensure Lismore’s resilience and readiness for future challenges. The community looks forward to the completion of these projects, which promise improved amenities and a revitalized urban environment.

For more local Lismore news, click here.