Paisley residents feel abandoned by authorities as River Murray water levels rise
The locals who remain said their council promised them help, but now they fear they’re being left alone as the water rises.
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Residents in the low-lying community of Paisley say they have been abandoned by authorities as water edges closer to their homes.
Adam Barnhard and his six-year-old daughter, Tatum, were preparing to evacuate from their house, which sits on the banks the River Murray, just outside Blanchetown.
Mr Barnhard, a single dad, said he had sourced a 10-person tent for the pair to live in until the floodwater subsides. He plans to leave the property when it no longer has an electricity connection.
“It’s going to be a weird Christmas. We can’t even set up a Christmas tree for the kids,” he said.
He welcomed the government’s multimillion-dollar funding package but feared it would not go far enough.
The funding includes grants of up to $1000 for individuals and families impacted by the flooding.
“I spent $500 just then on a storage unit,” Mr Barnhard said.
Mr Barhard said everyone living along the road would evacuate, as well as operators of the caravan park and residents living on the nearby gated community of Paisley Island.
He said the District Council of Loxton Waikerie had stepped in to build levees elsewhere, but would not do the same for Paisley residents.
“We get nothing,” he said.
“The message has very much been that we’re on our own.”
On Paisley Island, residents and shack-owners had sandbagged and removed furniture and other belongings before leaving their properties.
One who remained was Bob Rayner, 81, who was preparing to move into a portable unit on nearby higher ground.
He also criticised the council’s response to the flooding emergency.
“We had a community meeting and they said they’d give us a hand and that sort of thing,” he said.
“They might do when the water is here but, so far, nothing.”
District Council of Loxton Waikerie chief executive David Beaton said Paisley was identified as an “area of concern” when modelling forecast that the river would peak at 120gl.
He said it is forecast that Paisley would be flooded when the river reaches 130gl.
“The road acts as a partial levee bank but does not encompass the whole area and there is limited area for access,” he said.
“The road is narrow and doesn’t give enough width to say go up two-plus metres with safe barriers.”
Mr Beaton said the council had been negotiating with the state government to use military-style DefenCell barriers at Paisley, but that was no longer an option when the prediction reached 165gl because they would not reach high enough.
He said it would not be possible to construct a levee on the island because it faces the river and has no levee bank.
Another ex-top cop to the rescue: SA flood recovery co-ordinator revealed
By Lauren Thomas-Nehmy
The state government has announced a flood recovery co-ordinator, ahead of the Premier’s second trip to the flood-hit Riverland.
Former SA Police chief inspector Alex Zimmermann has been appointed to the role
as the floods were declared a major emergency.
Mr Malinauskas told ABC Radio Adelaide Mr Zimmermann has “long track record of handling these emergencies”, having previously been involved with the Pinery and Cudlee Creek bushfire response.
Mr Malinauskas added Mr Zimmermann’s input will also feed into considerations including future economic support packages.
It comes as tens of millions of dollars in extra economic support for flood-affected River Murray communities will be unveiled by the state government on Tuesday, particularly targeting cash for affected businesses.
It is understood the package, engineered by Mr Malinauskas and Treasurer Stephen Mullighan, is also likely to include one-off payments for householders forced to evacuate.
The looming River Murray floods crisis in South Australia has been declared a major emergency, with water flows expected to peak at 175GL within weeks and a second flow peak now expected.
Mr Malinauskas on Monday announced Police Commissioner Grant Stevens would get additional powers to help manage the rising flood waters, revealing a second major peak was expected around the end of December/early January.
Meanwhile, almost 8km of military-style flood barriers will be erected in a series of great walls across the River Murray region in a bid to stop damage from surging flows now creeping into the state.
The DefenCell modules, normally used to protect military installations, will be deployed in various configurations, ranging from 60cm to 1.35m high.
State Emergency Service chief officer Chris Beattie told The Advertiser the final locations were yet to be fully determined. However, the first barrier would be about 320m long at Nappers Bridge, Lake Bonney. It would be erected on Monday.
A temporary levee, funded by the state government, is also set to be built along parts on the main street in Mannum.
The Waikerie ferry will also be closed on Wednesday between 9am and 5pm, to safely transfer the ferry to the high flow ramp to allow services to continue as water levels rise.
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