Nightmare not over: Long road to recovery for flood victims at Mannum

The water has receded, the clean up has begun but the road to recovery is still a long and daunting one for Mannum business owners hit hardest by the history-making floods.

The water has receded, the clean up has begun but the road to recovery is still a long and daunting one for Mannum business owners hit hardest by the history-making floods.

The ‘Great Wall of Mannum’ – the temporary levee built that divided the town’s main street – has been pulled down with only a clay-base trail on the otherwise bitumen main street remaining of the Mid Murray Council’s protection measure.

Deja Vu Mannum owner Kylie Rochow and staff member Jemma Gurr inside the empty store as the clean up begins. Picture: Dylan Hogarth.

However, despite the street-dividing levee gone and the water receding back into the usual river channel, the nightmare is far from over for business owners.

Deja Vu Mannum owner Kylie Rochow was hit hard by the floods and was forced to shut up shop in mid December within days of water engulfing her large waterski and wakeboard shop.

Her store was unable to be protected by the temporary levee and Mrs Rochow was forced to put hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock into a storage shed, salvage what she could and wait for nature to take its course.

Deja Vu Mannum on the day of the River Murray flood peak at Mannum, January 8. Picture: Faceook.

Deja Vu Mannum owner Kylie Rochow and staff member Jemma Gurr inside the empty store as the clean up begins. Picture: Dylan Hogarth.

She can now enter her store and the clean up has begun, but she fears it could be months before she is able to trade again.

“Everyone in Adelaide thinks the flood is over but it’s going to take a long time to recover,” she said.

Mrs Rochow and her husband spent Thursday in the 40 degree heat pulling up the muddy carpet, the electricians were replacing power-points and wiring while jobs ahead included rebuilding the store layout, the fitting rooms, countertops as well as reflooring and painting.

“In a perfect world we’d love to be trading by Easter but that’s unrealistic – there is just so much to be done.

“And then we have the massive task of restocking the shop.”

Just up the road, the popular Pretoria Hotel remains closed but is hopeful the doors won’t stay shut much longer.

The Pretoria Hotel, Mannum. Picture: Facebook.

The hotel reported much of the water had cleared and management hoped to share news about a reopening soon.

‘Flood isolated community’

Cowirra resident Russ Williamson did not leave the house he has called home for 38 years during the flooding event, but he was always fearful the home would go under when the peak arrived.

Cowirra resident Russ Williamson takes the passenger ferry to Mannum. Picture: Dylan Hogarth

“The worst thing was listening to the waves at night wondering if it was going to come up – that kept you awake let me tell you,” he said.

Despite water levels lapping up dangerously close, his home did not suffer inundation.

“I saw the river in drought form, it got down to three-quarters of a metre under sea level and now I’ve seen it go 3.4 metres above sea level – it was crazy and it got really close to my home but I was lucky,” he said.

Russ Williamson’s Cowirra home during River Murray floods.

However, despite not going under, Mr Williamson said the feeling of isolation with the nearby ferries out of action and Hunter Road damaged by flooding caused angst among residents.

The Cowirra homes are mere kilometres from Mannum and rely on the town for essential services and Mr Williamson said it was a long few months without access to the other side of the river.

On Friday, Mr Williamson used the free passenger ferry service between Mannum and Cowirra which resumed this week, currently running to give residents access over the river until access to Hunter road is restored.

He said the trip allowed him to check his mail for the second time since early December.