Bray Park residents warned repairs to flood ravaged homes may take up to 18 months

Residents in a Brisbane suburb smashed again by major flooding this week are calling for the government to consider the area in a buyback scheme.

• In pictures: The SEQ flood disaster

Devastated Bray Park residents have been warned repairs to their flood ravaged home could take up to 18 months prompting some residents to call for the government to consider the area in a buyback scheme.

Cleaning efforts from the Monday morning deluge continued yesterday with residents assessing the damage in their homes, cleaning mud from their houses and getting rid of furniture on the footpath after more than 200mm inundated close to 400 Bray Park homes on Tuesday morning.

Troy and Jess Clabrough’s Bray Park home has been flooded for the second time in two years. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Troy and Jess Clabrough have only been living in their house for four months after it was damaged in the 2022 floods.

“It’s coming up to two years and this has happened again,” Ms Clabrough said.

“We just got all the replacement furniture and it’s just wrecked everything. We are gutted, we haven’t slept, we’re sick to our stomach.”

During the last floods the couple and their two children were forced to live in a shed for three months because they couldn’t find a rental while their home was getting rebuilt before securing one for 12 months. The couple say if they stayed in their homes this time they could be looking at being displaced for up to 18 months.

“There is no chance (we will still live here), we want the government to buy back, we want to move on,” Ms Clabrough said.

The flood clean-up on Tuesday. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“We want a fresh start, we don’t want to have to worry that every time it rains that its going to happen again.”

“We like the area, I was going to retire here. We had retirement planned and that’s not going to happen now. We are going to find other housing.”

The couple said there was noway they would go through the experience they went through in the last floods again.

“We will have to go buyback now, no one will insure us now, it’s not going to be worth it now, it will be more than our mortgage,” Mr Clabrough said.

“I don’t want to be hanging around waiting, going through what we did with the builders, painters, plasters.”

Mr Clabrough said they couldn’t understand why the floods never happened before 2022 and said it needed to be looked into.

While other neighbours who were affected by the floods in 2022 are preparing to withstand the wait.

Margaret and Gary Merrick are counting the costs after waist-high floodwater ravaged their home. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Margaret Merrick only moved back 15 months ago but this time she says she has “lost everything”.

She said last time they were back after six months, but this time she thinks it would be more than 12 to 18 months before she can call the place she loves home again.

“It’s just it’s a really dull feeling. It’s sort of you don’t know whether to be sad or angry. I think it’s all the emotions rolled into one.

“I just feel empty.”

Neighbours helped each other with the flood clean-up.

Her daughter, Lisa Camus, said it was difficult for the whole family.

“It’s pretty emotional. I’ve definitely been crying about it,” she said.

“Mum and dad are amazing, when it happened in 2022, We couldn’t believe it. So to get the phone call yesterday morning to say like it’s happened again like it was just devastating like no one should ever have to go through this twice in less than two years and they’ve only been back in for 15 months.

Paul and Kerri Ross with ruined household goods after their home was flooded.

Emotions were running high on the street, with neighbours and family pitching in to move furniture out of the house. Energex crews were fixing power poles, while Fire and Emergency Services crews were checking on homes.

While other neighbours were handing out food to those who hadn’t slept.

Another resident, Jane Auclair, said she had been told she could be without a home anywhere four to 12 months, especially in the time she needed a “stable” home.

Her husband has leukaemia, while her mother who also lived with them recently needed a home.

“We can stay with our family but that’s a lot to be asked, they all have their families,” she said.

“I’ve had my moments. I’ve had moments where I’ve gone on, well, where do I start. I’ve sat on the floor in the mud and gone I don’t know where to begin.”

Tommi West and 11-year-old son Bentley in their lounge after their home was flooded. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

She said the floods had been a lot on her husband.

“He’s just a bit emotional today because both the assessor and the insurance company said that he shouldn’t be involved in the clean-up,” she said.

“Because obviously moving stuff he’d already cut his arm, not badly but enough, there’s sewage. He’s immunocompromised so its important he doesn’t get an infection.’

On Wednesday, Premier Steven Miles, announced hardship payments for affected residents with up to $180 available for individuals and up to $900 for families to cover the costs of essentials such as food, clothing and medicine.

“Today the Prime Minister and I are announcing that we’ve activated hardship payments for those in Bray Park affected by the flooding, but we expect further suburbs to be added as we get in and do those disaster assessments,” he said.
“The SES received 300 calls for assistance mostly across Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast.”