Reflections On The North Coast Flood
All photos on this page by Carlita Sari
Homepage photo AAP/Dave Hunt
The River has been running high and brown all summer. Last summer too. Nowhere on this island continent is more sensitive to the wet signal from La Niña than the north-east corner of NSW. The most easterly part of the nation absorbs every bit of incoming moisture from a vast, overheated Western Pacific.
If it's going to be a wet summer, it will be wettest here.
For two long, wet summers I drove my wife crazy after seeing the state of the river at Lismore: “Fuck, Lismore is in trouble if we get a rain event - that river is swollen”. Or words to that effect. It doesn't take a weather Nostradamus to predict a flood here during a La Niña year, but these past two years have seemed particularly tenuous. The River stayed high for extended periods, the catchments remained saturated for months. It was the equivalent of the tinder-dry bush waiting for a spark to kick off an inferno.
The last big one was March 2017. Cyclone Debbie crossed the Queensland coast and the remnants tracked southwards through the near interior. Rainfall of 300-500mm was expected. No-one thought the river would go over the flood levee. Some parts of the catchment got 900mm overnight. The flood siren went off in the middle of the night and the town of Lismore was destroyed. My wife was working in the CBD. After seeing the destruction caused by what was called “the Big One,” I thought I'd never see that again in my lifetime.
In the intervening five years the property values of the Northern Rivers have skyrocketed. People quickly forgot the flood, or, like me, considered the chances of a repeat of the Big One to be statistically remote. People flocked to the area. Including many, many surfers. Unlike the Country Soul migrations of the early-70's the current surfer migrations have mostly been inland. Especially for incumbents forced out by the increased cost of housing.
To Ballina, if you are lucky, or further along the river depending on economic circumstances: Wardell, Broadwater, Woodburn, Coraki, Casino, then onto Lismore.
Living on the North Coast now requires a degree of economic surefootedness that was alien to previous generations of more freewheeling surfer/miscreants. When you lose your footing you end up at Lismore. It doesn't take much. Relationship breakdown is a common story. Houses are sold off, assets divided in two. What remains of the original pile can only afford Lismore.
People red-lining it month to month, or even seeking some monetary buffer zone, sell up on the coast and buy inland. A pal looking for some extra zeros in the bank account on her semi-retirement sold on the coast and bought in Lismore, above the reaches of the 1974 and the 2017 floods. She was woken on Day One of her retirement by the sound of the flood klaxon at 2am. Within the hour she was swimming out of her abode with the clothes on her back. She's lost everything. A lifetime's work is just...gone. Washed away. What do you say to a person like that?
We've all seen the pictures and read the news reports. There's no point now in describing the mind-bending level of devastation. Even resorting to pure hyperbole - like calling the scene apocalyptic - seems trite. How else to describe it though? I had occasion to be in Lismore in the dark hours before dawn on a food drop. There's no power, no lights, the streets are dark and empty of human life. The piles of debris are so high they almost seem to have the dimensions of a parallel city, one made up of pure destruction.
Since it's inception as Lismore Station in 1844, floods have been part of life. The cedar-getters came a year later, clearing the rainforests abutting the Richmond and Wilsons River, at one time the largest area of sub-tropical rainforest on Earth and known to the settlers as the 'Big Scrub'. What the cedar-getters started, the settlers finished off and by the 1890's there was precious little rainforest left to absorb the run-off from a devastating series of floods - which immiserated the district.
That 1893 flood has often been touted as the standard bearer of destruction. Like now, dead animals were washed downstream. Fatal outbreaks of dysentry and typhoid followed. That flood was 10.44 m. The 2022 flood was 14.37 metres.
Fires and flood afflict large parts of the island continent. Crown fires reduce human habitations to ash and rubble. In the worst cases, there is literally nothing left except molten piles of amorphous material and bare, blackened earth. Floods have a different mode of destruction; the power of water distorts and deranges, it rearranges the inside of houses like a demented poltergeist. While fires consume, floods overwhelm. The result is mounds of debris, mud, and sediment covering everything. An unbelievable mess.
The clean-up is shitty work. There's no way to sugar coat it. The stink is of rotting mud, animal faeces, and dead things, sewage, mould, human sweat. It'll be here for months. Traditional materials fare better than modern ones. Gyprock and wood composites turn to cottage cheese. They crumble as they are ripped out. The insulation in walls is soaked and heavy. Mud is everywhere, in everything. Don Watson describes the conditions facing the original cedar-getters clearing the Big Scrub in his book 'The Bush' as being part of a “gothic set” where they worked together in a “damp, steamy, murderous semi-darkness”. The same description could easily apply to this flood clean-up.
I'm downriver from Lismore in a small river town helping a mate. Flooding is unknown here in recorded history. He had no warning, no evacuation order. He rescued his quiver floating away in the middle of the night when the river suddenly engulfed his house. Luckily for him, because there has been no recorded flooding, he could afford insurance against it. He'll rebuild. Flood insurance in Lismore is already over $40,000 a year. While we are dragging out wheelbarrow loads of gyprock the Army shows up. We send them two doors up to an old couple. Ten minutes later, the elderly lady from two doors up wanders in. She looks lost and confused. The Army kept going. The elderly husband is indoors. His back and legs are gone. The brother is too old to help. Everything in their house is destroyed. How can you start again at that age?
There's a dichotomy now in the discourse. Mainstream Australia wants people to relocate away from the floods. To where, no-one seems to know. And how do you relocate the entire Northern Rivers?
The other side of the story, the one on the ground here, is of rebuilding. Which seems equally absurd. How could you re-start a small business in Lismore, rebuild a house, when you can't insure against flood? When the next inundation could be next year, or five years or fifty. Who can say now?
In the short term, where will everyone live? The housing crisis has now morphed into a full blown catastrophe. Whole towns are living in cars and under tarps with no fuel, no water, no communications in total squalour. Meanwhile, thousands of homes used for AirBnB in this area lay empty. Likewise, caravan parks with thousands of cabins rejigged and spruced up for tourist accomodations are unused.
Lots of tough decisions lay ahead. Not just for here, but the entire East Coast where every major town is built on a river. By my reckoning this isn't even the worst case scenario. I call that one the Triple Banger. A major riverine flood, spring tides, and a coastal crossing or coast-hugging cyclone with major storm surge. That would see places like Ballina, which flooded this time around, beset by destructive forces of much greater magnitude.
For now, the river again flows freely and peacefully. I feel it flow through me - its past, its ancient soil, the changing climate. Its destructive power seems hard to believe. The only reminders flow past in the current: a water tank, a tree, and a dead cow with the sun glinting on its swollen belly.
// STEVE SHEARER
Please consider donating to the following charities.
Red Cross Flood Appeal: The Red Cross is committed to supporting the stricken Northern Rivers' communities through the next two years as they recover and rebuild.
St. Vincent de Paul Society Flood Appeal: Vinnies is providing emergency relief for families forced to leave their homes.
Comments
Hey fellas, Vinnies link not working and bloody RC website doesn't like my email address. I'll keep trying...
Wow Steve, you capture it. Great writing.
Of course we will rebuild, as illogical as that may be.
Where else to go?
What else to do?
Mud is a special type of hell.
Great writing Steve All power to those who are able to help out.
Wow, what an incredibly well-written article mate. For something that so many mainstream journos have tried to describe for the many observing from a distance, this piece is by far the most emotive and informative. You've really painted a vivid picture here. Your perspective needs to be shared to a larger readership imo. Extremely tough decisions ahead indeed. Again, be fucked if I'd ever want to be a shotcaller in the times we are living in. What's next.
Horrific and sobering stuff.
And shocking timing too...
Best wishes.
Well said Ben on the money .. the article left a lump in the Throat Steve, words can’t describe how much of shit fight it is there ..me the and missus donated already .. hopefully a quick recovery thoughts are with everyone involved..
Can't add more than what's been commented above. Powerful writing.
Just so heavy.
Well written.
To those who have volunteered their time, thank you. The rest of us that can afford to donate, please do.
Sikh volunteers have been alternating between flood affected areas of Lismore and Evans Head since they arrived from Melbourne, having travelled via back roads to avoid underwater highways further south. Manpreet Singh said they had been serving 1,500 free meals each day. ‘You can see that people have lost everything but they are still strong. They’re very strong. And they are doing the hard work to create again that good town.’ 9th March 2022
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/sikh-volunteers-feeding-lismore-in-time-...
In the words of Lismore mayor Steve Krieg, “This wasn’t a big flood event: this was a demolition.”
Ballina Councillor Simon Chate has been volunteering with 40 others at the Alstonville Cultural Centre, now a flood evacuation centre for displaced people and pets.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/alstonville-offering-help-and-refuge/
Heartbreaking reading and wonderful writing. It's the pictures that add the other thousand words.
So I believe the Feds have a $5 billion disaster fund they're sitting on?
What are they waiting for?
Did I read that right? Flood insurance for Lismore area costs $40k pa? Pre this event? Low socioeconomic class and generational residents aside for the moment did they miss this flashing red warning light?
That was one of my first thoughts as well bonza, but like Steve said, where do you go?
Horrific scenes. Will be donating today.
The idiot that wrote this article has grossly distorted the facts. The part of Lismore that got destroyed is the old area. None of the pensioners there can even get insurance nor can pay $40k per year when they receive 25k per year.The areas around Lismore are some of the most prime agricultural land in the country thus a boutiful dairy and macadamia industry with plenty of profit. The cheapest areas of the North Coast are in the low quality agricultural.areas around Woodburn Coraki toward Grafton. Writing such a condescending article indicates the author has no ties, history, heritage or lineage on the North Coast. As the Lismore hospital is where 95% of real locals enter and exit this world. When it comes to passing away in this lifetime he can return to wherever he belongs. Most likely Sydney or Brisbane,
What is the point of this comment?
To call out those that distort the facts and not put those who are in a desperate need through unnecessary suffering. The author is obviously not a North Coast native. Should just stick to gossiping about MF.
Hate to burst your bubble mate but the author is a north coast local and lives just a stones throw from Lismore. You might wanna check yourself there a bit cowboy.
Another fact distorted... Lismore, Ballina, Woodburn are NOT in QLD . It has been determined this writer is from QLD. Before you cowardly blindside someone make sure you can put them away. Stick to being a flea and stay on your medication.
Stop being a prat mate. So you were born in Lismore? What do you want- a medal?
Irrespective of where the author was born, he has made his home the north coast and put roots down there. The article was well written and I reckon sums up the plight many people are facing, not just you you tool.
So has half of Hollywood, Sydney and a pack of Brazillians. Welcome mat got worn out by 2000 when we realised our children would struggle to buy homes and help elderly family.. A Qlder knifing the old North Coast is more salt in the wounds.
Mate, there's a context here that you're clearly oblivious too.
Most of us see Steve as championing the old North Coast. He's written in that vein for a very long time, well before floods, fires, and mass-migration befell the area.
Understand that this was written for a surfing audience, meaning coastal living is the dream but the reality is it's been pushed further and further inland. That's reflected in numbers such as real estate prices, and isn't meant as a slight on Lismore locals.
And who are you?
Who is anybody?
New here?
What facts have been grossly distorted here?
I'll be most happy to correct them.
"When you loose your footing you end up in Lismore.Where you pay 40k per year in insurance"
A crew of us from our old school of Lismore, Woodlawn went straight up to assist as most people have done for generations. Your article has been passed around. No one has ever heard of you amongst a diverse group of local professionals. A lot of old farming community in these areas. Surfers, leaguies, family men of note. It seems a quick media beat up is a job of the low end of the integrity spectrum. Who are you and what is your story?
Oh dear, and now the pissing contest.
Mate where’s the beat up?
That is right. The moment Mr K Stefanovic played his antics in Ballina..the whole area was infuriated. Are you the same AndyM that tried to put a Surf Resort in At Lennox/Broken? You were moved on from being a pest then. I suggest you stay north of the border..
So what’s your beef?
It has been pretty clearly aired..Can't take a hint?
You’re pissed off that it’s been pointed out that inland real estate is cheaper than coastal?
Or that people other than multi-generation locals are discussing the floods?
You’re being a baby.
+1 to that Andy M
Leave Katastrophe Karl out of it!
That’s what I like about Karl, he does satire so well.
I'm sorry you see it as a media beat-up job Prendo. That certainly wasn't the intention.
Good luck for all your friends and family in the clean-up/rebuild.
Nice way to P*ss off a whole community. Stay North mate...We worked you lot out from the Joh era...
Steve, I think the point of your story has been missed by this particular reader. Speaking as one born and bred in the region (back at least four generations, so got about 1000 to catch up on before I become a real local), I found your article poignant, relatable and on the fucking money.
I'm not living in the Northern Rivers these days, having followed my heart halfway across the country. But we lived through the 2019-20 bushfires here in the Adelaide Hills, so I know nerves can be pretty raw for a long time after these catastrophes.
Prendo, the whole community is more or less in the same boat and attacking each other for perceived insults isn't going to do much in the way of helping. Perhaps we all just need to take a step back, a few deep breaths and try to find some common ground so everyone can work together to find a path through this shit-show.
Up until this event there were insurers that would include flood cover at standard premiums in Lismore. So unless you it was commercial insurance or a really shit deal, insurance was unlikely to be this high for a standard house. But now, it will be a lot harder to get insurance at all as the insurance companies will assess they are likely to have a big pay out in the near future - insurance companies hate big payouts, ask anyone who has a spouse pass away without a will - Insurance companies are also closely monitoring climate change and trying to mitigate future risks surrounding it.
The government might need to look at subsidising these policies or it could become a big problem for all policies holders everywhere in Oz.
True test of the humanity of our governments. I am not hopeful unfortunately. Will be left to the stoicism running in communities. I hope there is enough.
The Federal gov was slow to react again just like the bush fires a couple year ago not sure what scommos problem is but coming on an election year he missed a huge chance to show some leadership....again....donkey....anyway as whats said above ,where will everyone go....? no rentals and where are they going to get people to rebuild houses from and why would you anyway ?and pretty much no hope for most of them who have lost everything. Feels like armageddons coming via climate change and there is no answer .....its going to affect all of us sooner or later im afraid one way or another.
Very good piece, Steve.
Lighthouse beach covered in rotting timber, 44 gal drums, freezers, plastic, hay bales, swathes of river weed, remnants of water tanks, bloated cattle, and on the very edge of the incoming tide a small corroboree frog, alive, waiting to be picked up and settled in the scrub by the outside shower.
Good stuff Steve, thanks.
Very well written. Cannot fathom what they are going through. $40k/yr for flood insurance, after a few yrs you're paying more than what the house is worth. Poor buggers
Great to see the Swellnet leadership dedicate resources to this topic.
Shame our federal government leadership can't see past the politics:
"An additional two weekly disaster payments for the catastrophe zones in the Lismore, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley LGAs ..."
Direct from the PM's press release re: his recommendation to the Governor-General to make a National Emergency Declaration
Read the Press Release here: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/more-support-nsw-and-queensland-flood-zones
And, yes, you've read the correctly.
Tweed Shire, with it's flooded devastation (as reported in the story on here with Mick Fanning etc) at Murwillumbah, Chinderah, Fingal and Cabarita / Bogangar have been left out of the additional assistance.
Ballina Shire too.
WTF?
Using a natural disaster as an opportunity to pork-barrel - a new low in Australian politics. Morrison is scum.
This is outrageous, surely to be corrected?
Justine Elliot is hammering him on this. What a total fuck up and typical of the bumbling idiot LNP
Excellent article FR. The only solution would be to build dams and thereby control water flow.
Yes, agree. Has anyone done good research on this?
Disagree that it's the only solution.
For damns to be built you need local topography to assist. Those conditions don’t exist around Lismore. It’s not a viable solution.
Thanks Steve , for your report from the front line, really brings it home and I hope the good people of the northern Rivers can get through this disaster.
Swellnet sending you to Ukraine next to make sense of that for us.
Wonder if anyone will ask Scumo why it took longer to get the ADF deployed in Lismore than it did to Tonga.....
Didn't the volcano blow up around Chrissy? My mates with the Navy and been there for like 2 weeks
The government gave $25 billion to big companies who didn't need it under JobKeeper. None left for these guys sorry
Beautifully written article. Thank you.
Crew ... this might help you, or someone you know ...
In the PM press release (link in my comment above), this is mentioned re: small business assistance:
"$800,000 to extend the Regional Small Business Support Program to include small businesses impacted by the recent flood event in NSW and QLD for two RFCS regions, with a six month extension until 31 December 2022, as well as free and independent case managed financial counselling through the Rural Financial Counselling Service"
I'd never heard of this 'service', so, I did some digging.
Link to the Northern Rivers 'service' here:
https://rfcsnr.org.au/small-business/
"Under the program, small business financial counselling is provided free of charge by the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) NSW Northern Region, by experienced Rural Business Support Financial Counsellors."
List of counselors and location here:
https://rfcsnr.org.au/our-counsellors/
They might be able help your, or your mates, small business get back up and going. Often these 'government' services know all the other assistance available such as other free assistance, grants, low cost funding etc., so it might be worth a call at least?
Thanks for this insight Steve. An additional take on such a heart-breaking and unprecedented crisis unfolding right across the state. These extreme weather events unfortunately just continue to become more frequent, whether that be hail, landslides, flooding, bushfire and drought.
A land of contrasts we are but now it's more a land of wild and extreme oscillations.
That article pressed the feels button, well written Steve, need to make another donation today.
Thanks Steve. Heavy situation for all involved. Its events like this that solidify Australians, ideas, changes, resilience and new approaches. Collective is far greater than individual.
How did we get here? How do we recover? Are we the answers for the now and future generations, do we have everything we all ready need to make possible changes? Can we use what we have better? How can communities evolve from this? Removing some of the red tape and pointless bureaucratic wash would be a start. A collaboration of grass roots skills at ground level. Organise ourselves better to be collectively stronger in times of need. Floods and fires are terrible events. We can rebuild, but it is how and who starts the rebuilding process as usual that must be evaluated. This is where the community, the individual, and leaders must shine or lead.
Collective efforts bring resolve, repair and resilience to those in need big or small. Rise above
Abc news today.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-03-10/floods-nsw-queensland-cli...
“Removing some of the red tape and bureaucratic wash would be a start.”
Yeah, they tried that with JobKeeper and gave $40B to Harvey Norman and other profitable companies. Enough with the bullshit bureaucracy bashing, it isn’t public servants holding up money, it’s politicians. Witness ScoMo waiting until he could get out of Covid isolation to declare an emergency. What a tosser.
Well said Sir
I'm not bashing the public sector as some choose to view it. Im asking why and how can it work better. I have seen an experienced it first hand. If you are in the way you are in the way. Realities of disaster show this time and time again. Regular johns should be questioning how all things public are working for them. If it repeatedly fails, reevaluate or change for the better. Governments change far quicker than most change jobs. When will we take responsibility for our own failings. Are we as effective as we could be. Allot of red tape and bureaucratic wash still continues. Public or not we have made it and accepted it. It does not always work or provide positive outcomes. In some cases stalls and limits easy viable solutions. The job keeper debacle in regards to Harvey Norman is telling. One farce after the next. Inadequate leadership at best. And who pays their way, we the the everyday suckers who return time and time again to the poor outcomes they continue to deliver, whilst proclaiming they are doing their best and really care. The realities are on us wether we see it, live it or not. Why would we accept this crap?
What a sad tale with massive hardship now and so few solutions for the future (flood prevention).
I have often driven somewhat mystified around tidy (no longer) brick and tile suburbs south of the Tweed in dry times with the flood marker poles highlighting peak historic levels at roof top level and noted the old timer homesteads all safely perched on the occasional small hill and pondered: who would build, who would buy, on the flats there? Lots and lots of people obviously.
This is what needs to be standard or maybe even a crazy double that height in many places. Stilt living.
&t=447sBut going from the now, with massive sunk costs of existing builds and infrastructure, to that across huge regions would be a massive transition.
$40,000 flood insurance is a motivator.
Certainly in North and South Lismore, that house would have been under up to the eaves, possibly higher.
The question now is, how high do you have to go, and is it feasible.
I was going to suggest the same thing myself before I took a closer look at some of the houses in the article. One in particular was at least three metres up but from the mud on the side of the house I think it seems like they needed to be at least another metre higher. That's an amazing amount of water.
Steve, insightful, thoughtful and articulate writing as usual, we Swellnet Folks have become accustomed to your good work. Kudos to all involved in what looks like hell up there. Keep up the great work. For ALL of us in the southern states, please donate at the aforementioned sites, it’s the least we can do or offer.
climate change is starting to bite.
this is just the beginning. it will just get worse and worse from now on.
Can not even fathom. Its fucking heavy.
ADF keeping people inside their homes during a "pandemic" but when there is a real emergency nowhere to be seen.
I understand there is hoops to jump through, but as Freeride said in the article, they knew it was coming.
Very well written Freeride. Thank you
BOM had warnings for days beforehand...
Exactly Sim. Any surfer worth his salt knew this was coming a week out. Maybe not 900 mm a day, as Palasczuk says, who could predict that, but plenty of people knew the shit was hitting the fan.
sorry for the long post and great article Steve, well done.
My heart goes out to those people who have lost everything including loved ones in these floods. Living on Bundjalung country over the last 20 years or so I’ve also been lucky to know and work with some of the local Bundjalung people and there is plenty of them around Lismore and surrounds hurting now too.
The Lismore mayor said last year when being interviewed about flood mitigation works for the area that the town is built on a swamp and subject to regular flooding. Well the town is actually built on a very large tidal floodplain with a huge catchment area that has been almost entirely cleared down to all the creeks and tributaries. The lush volcanic red soils from the Mt.Warning(Wollumbin) volcano which supported the largest subtropical rainforest on Earth that attracted the cedar cutters and early townships on the riverbanks in the region were over 99% cleared. The government actually eventually made it mandatory to entirely clear the land for early settlers otherwise they had to forfeit their lease or title within a few years.
This has left a big, mountainous catchment area with very little natural vegetation to absorb, buffer and slow down floods rushing towards Lismore and downstream. Almost all of the rivers and waterways in the area are stripped of native vegetation or smothered in weeds except were environmental works are starting to reestablish forest on the riparian areas. Many waterways are also silted up from the huge amount of topsoil that gets stripped off these cleared lands every flood which in itself is an environmental catastrophe generally unrecognised. Yesterday, over a week after the floods, the ocean currents and waves here on the Tweed Coast still have a muddy red-brown colour from those uncared for and stripped volcanic soils of Wollumbin. Soil really is the foundation of agriculture and the economy and plenty of civilizations in history have collapsed by not looking after it or the environment as Jared Diamond in his book ‘Collapse..’ has outlined.
If you were going to choose an area to build a new township, a tidal floodplain with big mountain catchment areas close by in high rainfall areas is the place you would avoid. In fact, current local and state government regulations wouldn’t allow large new developments in most of these areas. Yet we seem to have built towns and cities on every major tidal floodplain on the east coast of Australia. The development of these riverside towns was ironically driven by the historic land stealing, clearing and degrading the very catchments that could naturally absorb and buffer the big flood events that have always consumed them.
If we thought about the amount of damage that flood events are going to do in these areas every 5 to 10 years (which is what is happening now) for the next 100 to 200 years or more, how much would that be ? And how will it be viable for businesses and households to keep going in areas where insurance premiums are unaffordable or even just not available.
How much could we save in all levels of government and society by relocating urban areas,houses and infrastructure off the tidal floodplains to higher ground and replacing them with revegetated riverbanks and riparian areas, natural wetlands, farmland and parkland that can buffer and absorb the impacts of floods ? In a place like Lismore that could start with a slow ( or fast ) urban retreat within a km or so of the river or up to recent flood levels as funding allows. No amount of dams and levee banks alone will stand up to the 500mm-900mm overnight rain events which are happening every 5 years or so in this region
exactly. and it's not airy fairy greenie bullshit or "science research grant seeking opportunists'" . its backed by the suits.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/false-comfort-insurers-c...
what are we going to dam every river? and what happens when significant rains occurs downstream of a dam like this years Brissie flood? Dams provide minimal flood mitigation and are negligible in the big floods. period.
check out this article out from the local Lismore paper last year, it would be good to take a before and after(or during the flood peak) photo of the site of them cutting the ribbon on the flood mitigation works..wiping that cheesy smile off their faces..https://www.echo.net.au/2021/04/diverse-views-of-flood-mitigation-works-...
Times 100 Rich.
Thanks for your reflections FR76. A seriously grim scenario for all of those that have been effected. Absolutely devastating.
Tweed being left out is just cruel. I went and helped out at Chinderah. All 60 vans in park were write offs. All possessions had to be thrown out. Let's assume 2 people per van, plus the nine people in the managers home/granny flat that flooded as well= 129 people who now need somewhere to live. And they are not eligible for the Fed Govts Assistance package??
Great writing Steve. The knock-on effect of this flood event will be huge. Social housing will need to be talked about. So many homes have already been condemned in Lismore. Many more will follow and those people will need need a roof over their head that isn't their current evac centre.
Thanks FR.
This is a chapter in what is otherwise a horror story. While the NR has copped the brunt, the whole east coast has had a taste of things to come. For some, if they are lucky enough to never go through this again, this will be acute trauma that they may feel for the rest of their lives. For others, it will be chronic trauma. They've experienced the 1% chance flood too many times. For some it may hurt more and more while others may become dissociated in everyday life- like they've come back from war a different person. When the bushfires raged, I thought this is mother nature giving us one hell of a back-hand. We must sit up and listen to her. After a pandemic and the bushfires, mother nature is kicking some while they are down. With climate change and sea level rise, unfortunately these floods will no doubt come in quicker succession and may even repeat the cycle with interest. Every downpour may well be a trigger for many people living in and fringe flood prone areas. The anxiety of not being able to predict when it will come will no doubt affect people. This flood once again exposed our government's response capability and despair of knowing they're alone when it does happen may be too much. Talking about it may be a trigger, too. We often talk about rebuilding physically, economically, and financially. A sensible, long-term solution must be found. These require serious and pragmatic discussions at the right time. However, for now, many people you know involved in the floods, victims and those providing support, may experience trauma and vicarious trauma respectively on top of any other health implications. If you are in contact with someone affected by the floods, it may pay to know something about trauma. When in doubt "Do no harm. Do know harm".
Great article.
I just dont understand how we can spend so much on military equipment to "defend" our country yet we cant defend our people on our own land; I am truly shocked and disgusted at all of our politicans.
Thanks, Steve - a massive catastrophe that has affected so many lives.
One has to wonder where the Australian Federal government is in this huge disaster - nowhere, apparently.
Well done Steve
Great article Steve, best article on the crisis I have read yet.
This is my first day back with internet access and my first opportunity to have an arvo off and have a browse online. My missus's parents live in Lismore and lost nearly everything so we have been on the ground everyday on the recovery site since it happened.
The community relief and volunteer effort has been absolutely unbelievable and without it the town would not have been able to reach the point its at today. Although it took a couple of days for town to be accessible for us and the community to pool their resources, we have been provided with everything we have needed for the clean up job from food, fuel, tools, guerneys, cleaning supplies, clothes, PPE etc all from the community and a revolving door of dozens of volunteers showing up at the house to help in whatever way they can.
Random people have been pulling up at the house winding down their window and pouring us a coffee or a home made meal or cold beers at the end of the day. The random acts of kindness and people donating their time and money without receiving anything in return has restored our faith in humanity and their has been so many beautiful stories amongst the devastation.
I spoke to a bloke this morning who had come up with his big truck and huge excavator all the way from Musselbrook to come and volunteer his time and equipment.
On Monday morning we had a couple of random red eyed lads around 16 or 17 years old show up 9am on Monday morning after hitching in from Nimbin into Lismore to help out and scrub some walls. Even the bikies had a free sausage sizzle going around the corner last weekend.
From my perspective the relief effort has been a bipartisan effort thus far and transcended politics and had been largely apolitical up until this point. To come online today and to see the media coverage and how political the relief effort has become is disappointing.
I'm sick of all these people whinging and name calling and not actually providing anything positive or productive to the conversation.
There was a protest in town yesterday when Scomo visited Lismore and not one of the protestors actually offered any suggestions or alternatives beyond "Scumo's a c#nt" or climate change signage. We can worry about that later, but what we need right now is for him to lean on the Insurance Council of Australia and the companies to class the disaster as a storm and not a flood which will actually mean a lot more local business and home owners will actually be covered by insurances. He could also help us by raising the 13 week Disaster Relief Allowance beyond the $629 a fortnight dole payment and to something similar to Covid Disaster Payments which was $750 a week.
But it is true what people have been saying about the army in regards to the clean up job, Their help in town has been non-existent on the actual clean up.
However, the village I live in near Lismore was isolated without power for around 6 days. The only road in was damaged by a landslide as was the only bridge in. The army choppered in food, medical supplies, generators and fuel to our local hall which was distributed among the community so I can't be too harsh on the army.
Sorry for the long post I just thought some people might be interested on some first hand experiences in Lismore.
What time did your wifes parents realize Lismore was going to flood?
There was minor floods on the Wednesday leading up and then the water receded. I think on the Friday there were warnings of more minor to moderate flooding. Late Saturday night after Dinner and putting kids to bed we went into to Lismore to help them get flood ready which usually consists of just moving things up into the second floor of house which was raised above the levels of 1974 flood so the water had never reached the top floor before. But at that point in time it wasn't predicted to go over the levy and we did that as an extra precaution just in case. It wasn't until Sunday that people started taking it more seriously. I cant remember exactly but it wasn't until I think around 9pm Sunday that it was predicted to go over the levy. As the night progressed every couple of hours the BOM projections went from 10m then a few hours later 12m then around 2am Monday they projected it may reach above 14metres which is when they realized it was going to come into the second floor and they were in real trouble. The power went out and they tried to move things into the loft before eventually retreating to the loft but the water just kept rising and their next door neighbour rowed a blow up boat and took them over to his loft which is higher. They then stayed in his loft for a few hours before the water just kept rising and eventually they went out onto the roof and had to get rescued by some legend on a tinnie.
Ban Airbnb for a start? Or maybe a 12 month moratorium.....
Could be a step in the right direction. But in a lot of the hardest hit areas like Lismore, Coraki and Woodburn Air BnB's are not really very common or a problem like they are on the coast. Ain't no Air BnB's is South Lismore.
Hey Jedi. I am really interested in your first hand experience and thank you for your comments. Clear you have history in the region and skin in the game. From my limited understand i see the community impacted as thus. 1.Farmers interested in productive flood plain with a very high resilience level and resourceful understanding of government support (or lack of) mechanisms. 2. Lower socioeconomic class stuck unable to escape generational class. 3. And the rest being cashed up tree changers, Airbnb opportunists and retirees. I’m interested in your opinion what the make up is of those impacted and the subsequent level of responsibility in actively moving to that area.
Whats the appropriate response to those impacted and should it be universal?
Keen to hear from prendo on this also if he is listening.
I have no idea what the appropriate response should be and the scary thing is I don't think anyone does. So many business have just been delivered a death blow off the back of a pandemic. Even the Mayor had his business as well as his home destroyed.
There was already a severe housing crisis in the region before the flood and now it has gone to a whole new level with thousands of homes destroyed and surging unemployment. I have no idea and cannot offer any solutions to this problem
There is no subsequent level of responsibility or choice in people living in
South Lismore and North Lismore which were the hardest hit. It is the only affordable place for a lot of people to live and is a working class area with plenty of battlers and most people are just getting by. After this I would assume any areas out of the flood zone just became even less affordable and out of reach for most people.
I would imagine that after the flood a significant portion of entire Lismore LGA population, myself included are going to be on the Disaster payments and will only be pulling in $600-700 a fortnight so we wont exactly be going out to spend money to support our local businesses and stimulate the economy. That is only 13 weeks of payments and I would assume a lot of people will be straight onto Jobseeker (the dole) after that.
I think if the Feds raised this Disaster payment to Jobkeeper levels ($1500) a fortnight it would not only really help people rebuild their homes and lives but encourage spending at struggling small businesses. As I mentioned earlier the Feds could also lean on the insurance companies to class the Disaster as a storm it would help a lot more people be covered. Beyond that I don't have any other suggestions.
In my in-laws case they are both pensioners and don't have any other options but to move back into there old flood prone house and pray it doesn't flood anytime soon. And they are one of the lucky ones as there house is predominately old hard wood so it is still structurally sound and they will stay with us for a month or 2 and they should be able to move back in.
Details are shady at this point but some houses have been condemned and the council will not allow owners to build on that land again which means the owners will have to be paid out. I think squatting could become a real problem in Lismore with so much potential homelessness and abandoned homes moving forward.
One step at a time and just try to stay positive but it is looking pretty grim at this point.
Hey Bonza, Very diverse mix that were flood affected. The farmers in the hills, low socioeconomic in North Lismore..Semi wealthy even on tree change acreage, ex servicemen in defence housing. Complex groups around these days as many people pushed into town due to.the price of Byron Shire..Those that are lucky enough to be on the plateau that ranges from Lismore to.Bangalow and Alstonville may be in the best scenario..No floods, fertile soil, ocean is close and no neighbours. Coastal towns now a tad overdone with price, ego and lack of community and family. Lismore will.have a tough future but within 5 minutes from its centre the lush richness of its soil and tropical.plant life can be seen.. I regularly commute from.home in Ballina and still love the plateau area for its quality of life. Byron during Winter, Evans during larger swells and bike rides into Tweed and Mullum..Area is overflowing with life and reminds me of Laos during wet season. The floods were the worst event in my lifetime, Media, ADF , Polliies all seeking a quick benefit from some often shocked and traumatised elderly. Unknown where to from.here. Heading with a crew to Woodburn and Coraki to help out. Still a great place for family life as sports, family time, surfing and work balance out quite well. The pick of An as I.have seen is basically Yamba to Tweed and then the South Coast Kiama.to Eden. Good Nature, family based communities and quality waves..
Thanks prendo and Jedi for responding. All the best to you and yours out there.
Freeride, great article.
What would it take to revegetate with the native gondwanic species like the Cedar Pine in sufficient scale to lessen floods? So the land carries more water, keeps more of it's superb soil, doesn't run it all off?
VJ,
Many of the timber getters that ended up on the North Coast began their trade down here in the Illawarra felling the Red Cedar on the escarpment. Ye olde Sydney town was built with red gold from the Illawarra, however in two decades it was almost all gone and they moved north.
Over the last few decades there have been attempts to propagate the species yet all the artificial efforts have been failures (or at best been underwhelming). Red Cedar does still grow here - I've got one in my backyard - but it does so of its own accord.
I don't have the info why efforts failed but it would seem it's not as easy as chucking a seed in some potting mix and watering it.
Wondering if the issue would be the same up there as it is down here.
Red Gold, aye. I have a piece of it. I'd rather be regenerating it. Interesting it doesn't seem easy; like all the Gondwanan trees I fell in love with traveling Oz, their beauty and amazing properties (eg methyl eugenol...) don't come quick. There's a moth that smashes the Red Cedar I believe.
Thats a really complex question and I wouldn't even hazard a guess.
A few things.
A lot of the land on the plateau surrounding Lismore is prime agricultural land, as has been noted.
Revegetating the riparian zones is a huge task and would be a big help.
The Richmond and tributaries are in poor shape generally - and efforts to try and restore water quality have been hampered by how many council jurisdictions the river flows through.
This link below offers a 2014 assessment of the river and gave it a D.
https://richmondriversrescue.org.au/page/
I doubt much has changed since then.
Rehabilitating the Richmond and Wilsons and tributaries would be one great nation building effort the state and fed govt could commit too, that may offer some long term benefit.
there are lots of successful revegetation projects including with Red Cedar and other natives in the Wilson's river catchment but they are small scale and not always protecting riparian areas. The Cedar tip moth has hammered the viability of Red Cedar forestry most places but it still grows alright just a bit crooked and multistemmed which aint as good for timber.
If we were serious about looking after any landscape and catchment area anywhere we would aim for at least 30% of native vegetation cover across all land tenures including agricultural land. If farmers are serious about not losing their topsoil they should revegetate all their waterways and riparian zones and use ground covers and other erosion control methods to prevent soil erosion.
We planted up a farm 20 years ago near the Wilson's creek at Fernleigh,revegetating all the creek lines and wet areas with native rainforest and the productivity of the cattle farm went up because the pastures and cattle were in better nick and the fenced off creeks were crystal clear. Before the project it was dirty brown,muddy creek with cattle shitting in it, like most of the farms in the region. The dairy industry collapsed years ago and most farms are too small to be profitable unless you grow macadamias, so the result is a lot of fallow or underutilised 'prime agricultural land' exporting A grade volcanic soil to the south pacific ocean or through people's properties on the tidal floodplains of Lismore etc everytime it floods or rains heavily.
If we scaled up the local capacity in the region for revegetation we could achieve better flood mitigation and look after the environment and create lots of jobs. There also needs to be a rethink of council regs in subdividing more land on the high ground to provide affordable housing out of the flood zone. Its ironic that most of these large developments also actually trigger some of the environmental funding and solutions that are needed in the landscape.
yeah that is my understanding of the red cedar replanting, they go good but the cedar tip moth hammers the new growth and makes the trunks multi-stemmed.
I've done some riparian reveg around the area and heaps of more coastal stuff around Broken and Lennox.
Some of the riparian stuff now has fully grown trees and looks unreal.
The swamp mahogany's are close to a hundred feet tall.
Dealing with the weeds is one of the hardest parts around here.
Perhaps if you introduce something to clear the weeds, I hear the cane beetle is pretty good at that...
Agreed Rich74 you are all over it. Most of the projects are not on a large enough scale to have any impact on mitigating floods.
As Freeride mentioned after the Richmond River recieved a -D report a few years back it created a bit of noise and lead to some funding for regeneration projects across the region. They had a particular focus on macadamia farms
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-09-18/plan-to-improve-water-quali...
Unfortunately most of these projects were in the Alstonville area which certainly assisted Ballina but not Lismore.
Have a look at this link
https://en-au.topographic-map.com/maps/j8cu/Lismore-City-Council/
Looking at the Topo Map of the Catchment and all of those river meeting around Lismore sometimes I can't help but think that we are just pissing in the wind if we think planting a few trees can stop floods in Lismore. It certainly must help though
That topographic map is incredible mate, thank you for sharing. I'd say your fears are well founded.
Second this - didn't even know this existed
Yep big catchment, from the Queensland border in the north west to just behind Byron in the east.
Not sure you could realistically put in enough dams to mitigate major floods.
And it's a huge floodplain, wild to think how much land went under in this last flood.
Thanks Freeride I'll have a look. Peter Andrews' book 'Back from the Brink' discusses how to rehabilitate floodplains to be more productive, conserve minerals/nutrients, and be less flood/runoff prone.
Doesn't have to mean the end of that very rich agriculture, either. I'll go anecdotal. My Ms' family farm was one of the last cleared - servicemen's allotments. Her father had an old tractor and an FJ Holden and cleared with a chain drawn between the two. As a result, much of the farm wasn't cleared. He also cleared and left strands of vegetation along contour lines, and was able to avoid both runoff problems and the killer of the wheatbelt - salt in rising water tables. His farm was way healthier than surrounding ones 30 years later.
The soil in the NE WA wheatbelt contains far less (next to nothing, actually) nutrients in it (massive phosphate hydro operation?) and by keeping native veg, you actually encourage rainfall in this more arid area; research has shown clouds/rain more likely to fall over land covered in native veg. In this N Rivers instance rain is the problem rather than desperately sought - but having a lot more roots in the soil to take up the water and hold the water will no doubt help.
rich74 - 30%, yep. lay it out like Peter Andrews did.
https://www.booktopia.com.au/back-from-the-brink-how-australia-s-landsca...
Excellent writing
If anyone else is looking to donate these guys have been doing amazing work providing a flood relief centre with a bunker full of cleaning products, tools, clothes, medicine, shoes, camping gear, food and anything that the local community and beyond has needed.
https://www.facebook.com/koorimail/photos/a.10150360087615572/1016057123...
https://www.gofundme.com/f/bundjalung-community-flood-relief
Fuck.
Nice report Steve, and others have praised your writing, I don’t need to repeat it.
But your analysis is gold. Goes way back to how country was trampled by clear felling, how that has impacts all the way down, how it changes the land in a way that is inimical to human habitation. Recognises that it should never have been made residential land.
And don’t get me started on building homes on what is wonderful agricultural land. Sydney is determined to build out the last of the best arable land in the Sydney basin, because, you know, that’s worked so well for us in the past.
It was only 3 years ago I was reading your article about how dry it was up there, how areas that hadn’t been burnt in forever were now succumbing to bushfires. Farking rainforest was being burnt. It ain’t natural.
A world of cheers and support to everyone up there and all those who have helped. The exception always proves the rule however. To you Prendo, today’s turd award.
I’d donate a lot more than I have already except;
I actually think it is our governments responsibility to look after my fellow Australians and I’ll happily pay the taxes to make that happen;
And I’m afraid that dingo piss creek residents like Prendo might end up with some of the money.
Prendo, sorry mate, you’re a prime dickhead. Read the story again and try and work out what it is that so offends you. If the finger of blame isn’t pointing directly at yourself, try again.
Thanks for the award mate. I am quite happy to point out a manipulative journo who adds little real value to a community besides a quick personal benefit at others detriment. Seems to be a lot around these days and they run along pretty quickly..
You might be interested to know that it was this story and accompanying photos that made me donate.
Anyone taking a crack at the ADF probably needs to do their research first. Sunday arvo SES called out to the local Reserve Unit and the CO approved support. 41 RNSWR is like 300 reserve blokes across Kempsey to fucking Tweed, that’s a fucking big AO to “support.”
Blokes were knocking on doors doing evacs Sunday night. Probably less than a third live in Lismore and I’m sure as they’re chocs it would’ve been hardly their priority to work when they’ve got their own homes to sandbag, etc.
They would’ve been spread thinner than my patience when I’m touching cloth. Full time units are no where near Nth NSW. Brisket was copping its own flood, and Townsville is ages away and the Brigadier General pushed them to Brisbane, because.. you know Brisbane has like 10 times the population. Also blokes were enjoying their weekends, etc. would’ve taken like 48 hrs minimum after the State asked for help before they could even mobilise, let alone be ready to go. That would’ve taken at least another 24 hrs to square away fuel, food and accomodation, etc. If that’s too slow, where do you want diggers to sleep? Or do you want them to work 24/7? They’re human as well, sometimes maybe not, but most of the time. PMVs and other vehicles don’t have the clearance for a 2m flood, they’re not bloody submarines, they gotta wait for most of it to subside.
Then helicopters? There like chickens teeth, how many pilots do you think would’ve been sitting around waiting for this type of thing? They can’t fly on half the days we need them, let alone risk flying when the storm is still blowing. People need to chill out and understand the Aus ADF is tiny. Aviation units are Darwin, Oakey, Brisbane and Townsville. They were dealing with saving people where they can, and some were doing training and exercises when they got called back. Ones in Darwin can’t just fly to Lismore. Ones in Sydney are for Special Forces not for fucking natural disasters, imagine Commandos running around pulling old ladies off rooftops.
These things takes time, if there’s any blame, put it on people not willing to push the button to give the ADF the green light to get in the fight.
And give the chocs on the ground a break, they do this part time, they do this after a full day at work. They do this for their local community. Would you work 20hrs a day for $10. Doubt it
good comment
Army Reservist pay rates are a tad more than $10 per day:
https://au.indeed.com/cmp/Australian-Army-Reserve/salaries
And, they are tax free:
https://army.defencejobs.gov.au/army-reserve/pay-and-benefits
Now, as for the timeline to assemble and deploy (totally agree there is time lag to assemble and deploy), the BOM had severe weather warnings in place before the system hit the Gympie region, and once the impact was known there, and weather system forecast was heading down the coast, the 'disaster' management should have been well and truly in action. The Army should have been mobilised much much earlier.
'IF' we were being invaded by a foreign power, would anyone accept the 'deploy' and 'mobilise' timeline that has eventuated for the Northern NSW communities?
The fact remains, the whole government response has been very very poor.
Unfortunately, just like the bushfires, we're aren't prepared for disasters. It's well past time for the population to start to seek accountability, and with that, demand journalists and the mainstream media do way more to hold the elected officials accountable.
Communities need to start to band together and seek accountability from their elected officials.
And, cast their votes at the next elections to shake up the entrenched.
Journalists hold politicians to account?
Ha ha! Third highest politician in the land that just so happens to be in charge of defense is close mates with a coke-head and not a bloody whisper.
I wouldn't be holding my breath Wingy.
Get where your coming from mate - pay or no, there's not enough there in the first place. That wasn't the crux... no-one is disagreeing with you regarding Government response - Local > State > Federal.
Chocs don't need to come in, and they're all local, so they would be farmers, tradies, etc, from the local community already doing their thing... just not in green.
Just pointing out the fact that Bris Regular units were tied up mobilising for QLD floods, Townsville were being moved to standby, and a lot of Darwin units were on training activities well under way before any of this was on the radar. Sydney are all chocs, or Special Forces... same problem as above with Chocs, and SF don't do DACC work.
If a foreign power invaded like that we'd have intel for months... a weather forecast is not the most accurate outside of 3 days approximately. What we're highlighting is that generalised comments, direct abuse from ignorant individuals towards people who have no ability to change what happened. i.e. diggers on the ground.
As I said before, the Nth NSW unit did well to mobilise what they could in a few hours, to assist the SES. Comments like "Where was the Army?" don't help anyone - dudes are all waiting and as you mentioned the lag time would have still been 2-3 days after green light is given. Logistics is already a nightmare, and the equipment can't get through a flood.
You also need to understand the supply chain mate - what are diggers going to eat? assessments need to be made about how they are going to get there. If roads are cutoff, how the fuck are helis supposed to move hundreds of troops, especially in an actual storm? Where are they going to sleep? Where are they going to get fuel?
If you think you know a better way of getting that sorted, DFR is just a phone call away.
also 2 thirds of the ADF are officers and non-combat Corps who sit in Offices and haven't been in the field in decades, just like many politicians. Just ask Josh Frydenberg how hard it was to pick up that blade of grass?
https://twitter.com/JoshFrydenberg/status/1500286096462151680/photo/3
There's a lot to assess, and understand that managing the movements of large numbers of people (with their own lives, families, etc) to potentially go away for weeks is not as simple as it sounds. Also, a small minority would be able to do things that civvies can freely do. For example operating a small boat needs a qual, using a chainsaw needs a qual... they need a qual to use the fucking printer.
If someone was to get hurt, because those OH&S rules were relaxed, then the families would kick up a stink and a lawsuit would be at hand. Just imagine how difficult it is to get only qualified members to do tasks that everyone thinks are small trivial things?
Disaster and emergency means, simple terms, contingency and plans should already be in place.
Food - should be dry packed ready to go.
Shelter - mobile tents and camps
Fuel - stockpiles and strategic supplies
Transport - mutliple sources and meeting capacity needs
Like I said, if it was a war, an attack on oz soil, would we expect more? Would we want more?
These disaster emergencies are a real world test of the contingency planning. The deployment and mobilsation clearly failed. Investigations are needed to find the cause and hold those responsible accountable.
I get that mate - I'm simply passing on from the inside, that:
1) Food - Ration Packs? There's not enough. They keep stores, but they need to be mobilised and moved via road just the same. 1 ration pack lasts one day. 5000 troops for 30 days = 150,000 ration packs. A big task to move.
2) Shelter - You need more than just tents and camps, these exist, but you can't just drop them anywhere. There's a lot of variables that your planning cycle hasn't included. You need to maintain morale for troops, so it's always best to work with locals (as the State's are the primary lead) to harness old auditoriums, etc. They need access to showers, dry areas, etc. Or else you have mass exodus. Shelter for comms, HQ and command elements, they need to be liaised through local government - using schools, etc. MIlitary comms are not the same as civvy comms, so it's about best use and economy of effort. Regardless if commercial comms are down, then military needs to bring their own, and this takes up more convoy space, and more time to setup, prepare and enable. Towers don't just magically appear, they need to be setup depending on location, and they need Line of Sight, etc.
3) You need tankers, not just jerry cans. If you don't have hard standings identified, where do you hold tankers. If roads/highways are cutoff how do you get tankers down there. Road and float moves, need permits, Government and LGA's need business days to approve not weekends. These are red tape matters not for the ADF to administer, they simply follow.
4) Similarly, they train for war, not for moving bodies around to do manual labour. One piece of plant can do the work of 30 diggers in minutes compared to hours. They can't purchase plant and equipment and only use it 1-2 weeks a year, that's a misue of tax funds. They generally keep some plant/equipment, the rest need to be harnessed from elsewhere (hire companies, etc). Transport in general is difficult - only SF are paratroopers, normal diggers need to be flown or driven by traditional means. Therefore you need to prioritise private/commercial flights, etc. Liaise with RAAF for flights out of RAAF bases, etc, most planes are with the Air Force not Army.
- You've generalised transport, because there's a lot to it. As I said, the PMV's can't traverse 2m floods, they need to wait for waters to subside.
In modern war, soldiers can do little to react mate. Preliminary movements are done prior to an assault - that's days and/or weeks. Unless you move Regular units to those areas, they will always be reactionary. They need to be asked formally by the State.
This isn't the ADF's primary role. You say those things like the ADF is supposed to do everything. They cannot train for war at the same time as train for floods, bushfires, etc. They can assist, but they will never be the lead. This is across the board the same even on International Humanitarian Disaster Relief operations. Governments are sovereign entities, they have rights and Military's can't just roll through and take control. They're usually not local either, which makes travelling through locations even harder, especially when highways and roads are cutoff.
As a country of 25 million, we can't afford:
a) an Army to be sole purpose,
b) multiple smaller specialists groups,
c) poor contingency planning, or
d) lack of robust accountability.
The entire disaster and emergency management from fires and flood has taught us that what we have is not working.
It'll take great leadership to change.
The broader population need to understand their apathy on these issues the solution.
Those in leadership need to know, they'll be held accountable.
As for your 'inside' scoops re: the deficiency on contingency planning, that's alarming.
Without going through one by one, the issues you've listed all have common foundation:
The entire disaster and emergency management from fires and flood has taught us that what we have is not working. Those responsible need to be held accountable.
In short, the Army should have been here, on the ground helping much much sooner.
100% - seems like Reservists are doing more of this disaster stuff these days… it’s a shame the Government is willing to call lockdowns a state of emergency but it took them over a week to call this one.
if you're wanting real change, some constructive points would be things like:
- increasing funding for SES and similar organisations designed for this and local to areas, so they know their way around. This would enable equipment and resources to be usable and accessible quickly
- increasing ADF resources to be spread across the country more evenly, may reduce time/turnaround, as there are no Regular units in Northern NSW.
- get ADF reservists training for qualifications tailored for this: small boats, chainsaws, etc. Remember regular units, are tailored for specific things, like amphib or artillery, etc, they spend their time going on courses for those specific to their role and trade, not random courses such as chainsaws, etc.
- give councils, and local government power to take control of plant and equipment, which private companies will be reimbursed or compensated for in the future, so ADF, SES and others can utilise local resources in times of emergency
- employ greater Specialist skills like engineers, geologists, etc, into local government, SES and ADF and provide greater ability to assess landslides, etc.
- get drone and other similar capability into local SES and ADF units, so they can get situational awareness without being physically in harms way.
- employ officers and senior ranking officials with backgrounds in disaster relief, etc, who understand the ins/outs, logistical requirements, costs, preparation, etc.
- get more people willing to volunteer with SES, Red Cross, etc, through initiatives and grass roots programmes. Australia is just too big, with not that many people to fill the gap a lot of the time.
There's some practical examples for you mate.
Many people give Government's too much credit, there's probably no maliciousness, just incompetence. If leadership is incompetent, then more needs to be done with the leadership, not with those on the ground.
On these constructive ideas, which make a lot sense, but miss the key issues - bureaucracy and leadership.
As you noted in your earlier comment, who makes the call to deploy? Why did it take so long.
Then, as we've seen, the locals had to use their boats, jetski etc. because the SES do not have the resources. Why? They have the funding, but where does it go?
It's no different the the BS with the bushfires and how locals knew more than the central fire management. Lots of rural communities are taking back their local fire fighting, facing the angst of fighting the bureaucrats.
Start with where the current funding and resources go, put a broom through the layers and layers of BS waste. "... no maliciousness, just incompetence. If leadership is incompetent, then more needs to be done with the leadership ..."
Don't give them more taxpayer money, that'll only mean we have to pay more taxes. Make them be accountable with where the $$$ they get now actually get spent, redistribute the budget, and get the gear needed to be ready for the next disaster or emergency.
Get rid of the bureaucracy.
Improve the leadership.
100% agree mate - but diggers don't deal with politics. I've stated those as constructive ideas and tangibles - leaders come and go, so I can't and won't speak on behalf of elected officials. That's upto people to hold them accountable, and don't think soldiers won't.
LGAs need to request State Government - they should be quick in their assessment if they cannot handle it. The State Government needs to act and move and formally request, then add the logistical delay. If this was done properly, it should be no more than 2-3 days, once that information flow goes all the way up and planning is done.
Just saying the criticism that many soldiers have experienced (though understandable as it comes from pain) isn't warranted, and needs to be addressed appropriately. I'd like to think that people like you hold jobs in Government, but hey we are where we are because others believe red is the best kind of tape.
Mate, if I worked in government or any bureaucracy, I'd be on a compo claim within the first week from the injuries from banging my head against the wall.
And.
Possibly on disciplinary action for banging someone else's head against the wall too.
I'm far to accustom to the "get it done" approach of private enterprise.
NOTE: I'm enjoying the discussion and debate, but have to go and sort out my gidget. Great to have a discussion like this with constructive dialog and no anti social angst. Good Karma to you mate, hope huey rewards ya with green rooms a plenty.
Legend mate - though many of us wear green, some are more jaded than others, we feel your pain, we feel your hurt, we just don't need more toxicity amongst it all. Don't think many of us haven't lost brain cells or teeth from having our heads in walls.
Likewise, great to chat with people who can intelligently discuss these issues and highlight appropriate actions and outcomes.
Green rooms await us all. Take care and stay safe amongst it all.
Some great insights B_mac.
Thanks for taking the time.
anytime mate. Thanks for taking the time to read it
I second this, great insights. Thanks Bmac.
Agree. It's a lot to take in, when you consider the scale. I'd like to see what the best solution would be and how it should be structured. Whether its community led, or Government led
this was a great debate - lots of things came out of it I had no idea about.
SES should definitely be a paid role. Those guys go above and beyond, and heaps of them are close to retirement age but still powering along. If Army Reserve get paid, they should be too.
great comment..and besides that just about every major road including the pacific motorway was cut or ripped up by floods for days so there was no the ADF was getting serious trucks and people and airlifting a lot of crew without vehicles and recovery equipment would of probably just added to Lismore's burden....there were people trapped in their cars for days on the freeway high ground south of Chinderah and there wasnt even access across the tweed bridge on the M1 until the Thursday after Sunday's night's chaos...
the fact that there are still no eligible disaster payments in the tweed and byron shires is a disgrace, its still complete carnage in places and people are still cut off by ripped up roads and bridges and will probably be like that for weeks
Everyone wants to defend the ADF toy soldiers. Seriously, our ADF couldn’t defend a sand pit at kindy if someone actually invaded us. So what are they there for? To buy arms from overseas companies and line ministerial pockets? Watch the Friendly Jordies story on our defence minister Peter PotatoHead if you need more information. There is so much more they could do for the community in times of need such as this. Yes the roads were out, but the air wasn’t…Yes there are no doubt some good community spirited people in the ADF, but if the border closures were anything to go by, most were nut scratching wankers, perving on female drivers, who couldn’t get a job in the real world. For context here’s a first hand view of how they responded in 2011 under an ALP federal government.
https://www.facebook.com/591357337/posts/10158820946557338/?d=n
You're comment just reinforces the ignorance, even with everything that was said above mate. I was there in 2011, I helped plan and get everything inbound as soon as it was green light go. As was discussed in detail above, heli's don't just appear out of nowhere. They need to be prepositioned, but those decisions can't be made without a request. States rule the roost, and its upto them to call for help:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-13/nsw-floods-adf-offer-rejected-by-...
No-one disagrees with you that Scotty has no clue. You just need to get your facts straight mate. As I said above, it probably wasn't malicious, but just a show of incompetence. If you think you know how it all works, be my guest. DFR is just a phone call away.
Did you bother to read Luke's account before you sprayed back at me, mate? Lets just drop the Anzac-hero-every-soldier-is-a-legend fantasy, I know its popular for some but the real history of the ADF recently is pretty rank, no pun intended. BRS anyone?? No one has answered the question of how they got to Tonga before Lismore yet...I'll wait for your depth analysis of operation matters and next opportunity to blame the states
Tonga was in Jan mate - https://news.defence.gov.au/international/adf-supports-australias-respon...
Op was going on for 2 months now. Yeah I read the post. I totally agree with everything that was said by Luke, but your comment implies the ADF had no clue. NSW had every chance to have 4 Chinooks and some Blackhawks ready to go before Sunday 27th Feb. Since they said no, they got diverted to QLD. Pretty simple stuff when you look at those facts.
Proof that NSW said no? I'll wait, but it's probably classified right? Now I get why its the Australian Defense Force, the specialty is defending its own actions. Have a good one.
Mate - you're joking right? SES head "Defends decision to reject army assistance..."
I didn't vote for Scotty. He's a self-righteous POS. But hey why have the ADF, when you can go round dropping bombs out of ignorance. We'd have world peace with blokes like you in Government. ScoMo could've went over Dom's head and called it - he's a POS - don't think anyone disagrees. But ol Dom should've had a bit of nouse to call it then as well eh.
Is ol’ mate above fuckin for real? He mustn’t be able to read… Fuck we have some entitled POS. Hope Russia invade and put a nuke down your neck of the woods you self entitled POS. People like that make me physically sick.
Most of us appreciate what the boys in the green do Bmac. I had family serve, so I know what it’s like when they come home to ungrateful POS, too lazy or ignorant to do a Google search.
It’s always red tape that prevents this shit getting squared away. I’m going to write to my local MP about getting the Federal Government to sort out this grant stuff. As my in laws were affected but they miss out on some grants because of their post code.
Constructive discussion and debate is always welcome. However, a whole community would take offence (just like any) with unfounded, unresearched and generalised comments about their incompetence. If there was proof of inaction from the rank of units deployed in that area, then I'm all ears, but it's become apparent in the news, that the people in Government who can make the call either haven't or weren't willing to in critical times, so the ADF have gone elsewhere (i.e. QLD) and under their own chain of command - besides the fact that it's their own backyard, as the units are mostly based out of Brisbane or Oakey. Maybe it needs to be reiterated - but ADF can't act without Government direction.
I'll be honest my first post was written out of anger and frustration, seeing a soldier getting yelled at and bullied by some locals, after she finished work and was just from what I could see buying food, etc, for her young family. I was almost livid to be honest.
I think compassion and empathy are important, but also an understanding of the process, so we can (as discussed with wingy above) direct our anger about the lack of support in the right direction. Don't think there's much else to it to be honest. I've already followed this up and given more insights to Army's chain, so they can do a self-assessment - especially with their Public Affairs people (absolutely tone deaf to be honest). Hopefully, a collective group with constructive ideas can actually make some changes:
https://amp-brisbanetimes-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.brisbanetime...
...The 2020 Royal Commission into Natural Disaster Arrangements, held after the Black Summer fires, found there was a public perception the ADF was always readily available to be deployed in a crisis and concluded that: “This is not, in fact, the case. Nor is it a reasonable expectation of the ADF.”
I think the idea in that article holds merit. Instead of paying chocs to do the work, they can pay volunteers/SES or similar, to do functional and tailored training, and then deploy on rapid notice to their local communities. Could very well be just the SES and make it paid, rather than voluntary. I'm sure that would assist in growth of numbers and retention.
Okay you want to keep this going with name calling now? What's "wingy" mean? And the idiot bootlicker Nugget kicks in as well? Get fucked. All I'm seeing from you B_mac is self serving arguments, you say you can handle constructive debate but only when someone agrees with you? Pfft.
I've already stated I'm sure there are community minded ADF personal, and that's great and everyone appreciated the extra arms and legs, but lets face it, the ADF is on the ground in northern rivers because they were ordered to, they're not volunteers like the SES and still you keep wanting to palm-off any disaster recovery efforts in the future to underfunded, minimally equipped amateurs when the ADF has a huge amount of personal and gear that generally does nothing but play war games with our tax payer dollars. You are not doing anyone a favor being here FFS.
This is a fundamental issue with what the ADF actually does. It sure doesn't defend Australia, that's a joke. Tell me, is there any currently serving ADF personal who have actually gone to war to defend Australia? Don't bother with US led oil wars in the Middle East matey, I mean actually fought an enemy to protect our nation?? Forget all the "warrior" bullshit, this is not America and we are not going to lick your boots (well, Nugget will) and say "thank you for your service" every time we see a uniform. Fuck that.
Climate change demands we all reassess what we do going forward, maybe this is the catalyst for the ADF to step up and be ready for the next inevitable disaster, because we all know its coming and will no doubt be worse than the last. If (as you like to quote as if it makes it okay) the ADF is not always ready to be deployed at short notice, it fucking well should be!
There’s no name calling here mate. I’m just referencing the discussion with wingnut above. How is anything you’re saying constructive?
- How big do you think the army is?
- How many do you think are actually able to do anything and not some officer sitting in a desk somewhere?
- How many Helis do you think we have at any given time that can fly to Lismore without fuel and supply chain support. You think they run of unleaded?
By the time the national emergency was called, 3 Battalions rolled into NNSW within 24 hrs. It’s a shame it was called a week too late.
- pretty sure it was only 80 years ago since Darwin was bombed and Japan were in PNG
If you really want to have constructive debate, you need to have the facts mate.
have to agree with a lot of the comments here. great insights b_mac. I reckon some people need to eat some humble pie and just chill the f-out. What's done is done. I'm not going to join the army, but I've put an application in to the Richmond Tweed SES now.
A lot to take in and you've highlighted (as Wingnut mentioned) areas of big concerns if this was ongoing. The blokes that came through were super humble and worked full duty hours, so hey, they've done well. There's so much to it all, you'd hope that if NSW government had called it a national disaster or ScoMo had the balls to do it on the 28th, then a lot of heartache would've been averted.
There’s no name calling here mate. I’m just referencing the discussion with wingnut above. How is anything you’re saying constructive?
- How big do you think the army is?
- How many do you think are actually able to do anything and not some officer sitting in a desk somewhere?
- How many Helis do you think we have at any given time that can fly to Lismore without fuel and supply chain support. You think they run off unleaded?
By the time the national emergency was called, 3 Battalions rolled into NNSW within 24 hrs. It’s a shame it was called a week too late.
If you really want to have constructive debate, you need to have the facts mate.
Justine's doing a cracker job trying to get that funding sorted.
She got it!!! Legend. We will NEVER forgive Scumo for this
She got it!!! Legend. We will NEVER forgive Scumo for this
Mate you know it. If we get behind her it’ll be a cascade next election. Already Cath Cusack has resigned. Good riddance.
Also I take your points above and I was pretty one sided till I read your comment today. I think we all need to have a clear head about this. Army’s got a job and they got told what to do and where to go. So be it.
We just need people like Justine telling them where to go and what to do I reckon
I’m not indoctrinated that I can’t take your points. I get it, I reckon there should be better interagency collaboration.
Mate you know it. If we get behind her it’ll be a cascade next election. Already Cath Cusack has resigned. Good riddance.
Also I take your points above and I was pretty one sided till I read your comment today. I think we all need to have a clear head about this. Army’s got a job and they got told what to do and where to go. So be it.
We just need people like Justine telling them where to go and what to do I reckon.
I’m not indoctrinated that I can’t take your points. I get it, I reckon there should be better interagency collaboration.
Mate you know it. If we get behind her it’ll be a cascade next election. Already Cath Cusack has resigned. Good riddance.
Also I take your points above and I was pretty one sided till I read your comment today. I think we all need to have a clear head about this. Army’s got a job and they got told what to do and where to go. So be it.
We just need people like Justine telling them where to go and what to do I reckon
I’m not indoctrinated that I can’t take your points. I get it, I reckon there should be better interagency collaboration.
100% - How's Scotty's form trying to make this political?
i think it's still chaos in some parts to be honest... and it's been more than 2 weeks. Army passed through and cleaned up the street, had a good chat with a lot of them. They were working in Brissy from the 25th with some of the flooding near gympie and then when ScoMo visited the region, they got the call to move down overnight.
Very well described and written. It sounds like this area is beautiful and volatile. Feel for the communities-hard to understand a situation like this when you’ve never experienced it. The photos sum it up though.
Well written mate, thanks for sharing
It seems to me that other than building super tall levees, the only other option for a town like Lismore would be to move the town. There is precedence for this kind of thing in Christchurch. The 2011 earthquake resulted in over 1200 CBD buildings and 10000 houses needing to be demolished. Vast areas of the city were deemed too unstable to build on again and were "red-zoned". The residents in the red zones were offered sections in new more stable areas of the city. The enormous cost of this was borne by the Insurance companies and the NZ tax payer.
The red zones are now parklands where entire suburbs used to exist. It's quite shocking to visit Christchurch if you were familiar with what it used to be like before the earthquakes.
This sort of thing takes strong political leadership. Unfortunately in the case of Australia the size of the the job seems pretty overwhelming. I feel for the people that have had their lives destroyed in recent years by fire and now floods. Some hard decisions are going to be have to be made. There are no easy answers.
Zoning setbacks are definitely needed in some spots along some of those rivers, especially near Woodburn.
Even increasing the height and filling in some of those low-lying areas around Lismore, so most of the water gets channelled would be a great step, before any rebuild phase.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/a-new-levee-and-river-remodelling-for-li...
And DR Dan and his Streetside Medics are on Route - https://www.streetsidemedics.com.au/
Clearly it is time for a major rethink with regard to land management and housing, starting with an acceptance that it is impossible to control or contain nature. Coastal defenses, damns, levies are expensive short term fixes, give a false sense of security and often cause more harm than good.
We also need to acknowledge that while these weather events are classed as 'the big one' etc in our life time, Australia was subject to fire and flood long before Europeans arrived and started removing natural flood defenses, building on flood plains and in areas prone to bush fire.
Insurers aren't daft, if they are essentially making it impossible for the average Joe to insure their property and belongings it is because they know that at some point relatively soon, there is a good chance average joe will lose everything.
Mistakes have been made but it seems after every destructive weather event those mistakes are repeated as we commit to rebuild communities in the same areas but this time bigger and better. Sooner or later we need to accept that living in certain areas for proximity to the coast etc, which has been sold ad infinitum, is untenable.
@ 53.30 mins onwards shows 1950s Lismore Floods
Thanks Udo, that must have been the 54 flood.
Years ago in Lismore I lost a brown paper bag containing Psilocybins .
I think I know who found them, PRENDO.!!!
Are you for real ? So, Mr Prendo. Are you the ONLY person qualified to speak about anything relating to Lismore ?. You must be a plethora of information. What’s your next job, if you actually have one, front desk at Lismore Tourist Information Office, ? What a joke, may I suggest you keep working your way through that bag until you find the ‘diamond in the rough’, the Fly Agaric !!! This Is The End.
This is outstanding journalism! Does anyone know how to nominate this for a Walkley Award? I'm happy to do the nominating, but I have no idea where to do that.
Hey Endru, as a former journo, I'd agree that Steve's piece is excellent & more than deserving of nomination. Check https://www.walkleys.com/about/walkley-judging-board/ & from the website: "If you have any questions about the Walkley Awards, please contact awards manager Lauren Dixon / 0413 212 890 or Barbara Blackman / 0425 297 082."
Thanks for the link. I see that there is quite a large fee to be paid with the nomination and members of the journalist union get a rebate. Maybe this is something for Stu? Swellnet would get kudos too.
Scomo (and others): "don't blame the ADF!!!! I won't have you bad mouth those patriots!"
From what I saw, nobody was blaming the ADF directly, but rather bemoaning why it took so long for them to be deployed.... again.
Regarding bureaucrats/public service.... I've been there.... I can assure you most of your grievances, not just for this event, lay with politicians. Public servants are required by law to base decisions on objective information and act in the interests of the public. BY LAW. Politicians aren't. I had so many decisions overidden by unqualified politicians because they had a mate that didn't want something to happen or they were thinking only of their election chances. Yeah yeah there are lazy POS people in govt, but they're in every org.
Regarding insurers..... yes, they are looking at climate change. I work with this sector. The big 5 banks did it first. Now the insurers are doing it (some for a couple years now). Banks won't allow you to have a mortgage if the asset isn't insured. Now, take what we know about % of bank balance sheets depending on mortgages, couple it with climate projections, overlay all of that the distribution of residential stock (flood zones, coastal zones, bushfire zones, landslip zones), multiply by the reliance of our economy on development, multiply by the overweighted-ness of the ASX to banks and by extension our superannuation funds.... and one quickly realises the ginormous systemic and existential socio-economic threat climate change poses to the Australian economy..... Now, raise your hand if you've seen that last sentence covered widely in the media? Yeah I didn't think so.... Nor (I'm guessing) have you read about the report the DoD sent the govt a few years ago saying "fight a war, or do disaster response (here and OS), we have capacity to do one but not both without undercutting sovereign security), or the report where they (and DoDs from many other western nations) told the politicians "so yeah, FYI, climate change is big fucking problem from a NatSec perspective and it'll kick off sooner than you all hope it won't"...
Another thing on insurers.... Despite the commercials telling you XYZ insurer is "here for you" "here for Australians" blah blah, don't be fooled. They're a commercial business and the model is a form of arbitrage. If Joe/Joanne Public thinks the risk of an event is 100, and the insurers know it's only 80, then you'll be able to get coverage and they make money off that mis-perception of risk. If you think it's 100 and they know it's actually 150.... they won't provide coverage. You don't have a right to insurance. It's a commercial product that seeks to satisfy a need (financially recover from damaging events). If you want to see what happens when the govt steps in to provide flood insurance, just check out the budget nightmare clusterfuck the National Flood Insurance Program has become in the US.
I could say more, including about where the real "blame" (if you could call it that) lay, but this is a long post already...
good post mowgli,
https://theconversation.com/after-the-floods-the-distressing-but-necessa...
Someone tell Shearer that three of the biggest, deadest, rankest Jewfish are stinking up Lighthouse Beach beyond belief. He’ll never catch these giants now.
Thanks Pete B, will go check it out.
Maybe you could get the pearls?
Or would that be disrespectful?
Then there was the bloke digging tunnels in the sand for his pet ferret to play in …
https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/water/floodplains/floodplain-m...
https://www.kyogle.nsw.gov.au/successful-voluntary-house-buy-back-scheme...
Some great writing FR.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-17/flood-oil-spill-blankets-nsw-home...
Drove through Lismore yesterday. Unfuckenbelievable destruction , the saddest scenes I've ever witnessed. No way the town can ever return to normal , the devastation is total . Every house & every business totally empty & destroyed , with endless piles of rubbish still lining the streets 3 weeks on. Such a great town , just shouldn't have been built on a floodplain.
So how do you floodproof a house in Lismore or anywhere? A lady on the Drum last night suggested pontoon houses. Sounded like a good idea which got me thinking how it would work . So you have a house in a suburban street sitting on a pontoon , a flood comes & the house rises vertically with the floodwaters , which raises the problem of how to secure it in place & stop it floating away ,my first thought was having chains in each corner of the house secured to massive concrete footings , but that's no good as the house would still move sideways & possibly damage the neighbours house. Then I thought why not have the house on hydraulic piers , when a flood approaches, flick a switch & raise the house 4 metres or so. But that also has problems, if the owner isn't home to flick the switch or if there is a power failure , plus not sure if hydraulics like to be submerged. So a manual system that operates with no power input is required. A lot of the houses in Lismore are on 3 metre piers already , you could retro fit these houses by attaching hollow metal cylindrical pontoons under the floor space & then replace the piers with cylindrical telescopic piers made of really strong recycled plastic , so they don't corrode. So when the flood comes , soon as the water hits pontoon level , the telescopic piers extend , the house rises vertically above the floodwaters plus it stays in position & doesn't float away . When the floodwaters receed the house drops back in place. Just an idea, probably already exists somewhere.
https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/Issues/2017/April/cont...
I remember watching this - https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/grand-designs-houses/amphibious-hou...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saw Fisheries come in the other day with a heap of water samples from the Richmond River area, will be fascinating to see what’s out there.
Is anyone else hearing of more casualties in Lismore than are being reported?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-12/north-coast-flood-victims-signal-...