Record breaking outback Qld floods: Farmers to face financial and emotional stress for years
More than two months since record-breaking floods struck western Queensland, farmers are still picking up the pieces. While the land is as lush as ever it hides the devastating reality our farmers are still faced with.
Toowoomba
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As Tash Johnston looked out across the vast landscape of outback Queensland, she couldn’t help but think about how lush and green the usually barren land was.
However, looking closer, she could see where the floodwaters had reached weeks before and the remains of dead stock still hanging on fences.
The Farm Angels founder and a team from the organisation travelled to dozens of properties in Thargomindah, Windorah, Quilpie, and Cunnamulla over the past few weeks to see the destruction left behind from the record outback Queensland floods.
The floods hit west Queensland in late March killing thousands of stock, and destroying homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
“This was a first for me, to see the stock stuck on fences and where the rivers and water had been, it was very sad,” Ms Johnston said.
“I only saw it for a brief moment, whereas the poor people that live out there, they had to live and breathe it and are still living and breathing it.
“My heart really aches for what they’re going through, to deal with it every day, but at the same time seeing the country just looking so spectacular it’s a bit ironic, really.”
Ms Johnston said she was heartbroken seeing the residents of Thargomindah now living in their caravans after the entire town went under.
“The whole town was flooded, all but 12 houses,” she said.
“This beautiful little community has rallied together to support each other but to see how they’re all living now just breaks your heart.
“Out of something so devastating it certainly brings the community together.”
Ms Johnston said people have lost everything.
“Some of them have lost their houses, their sheds, their machinery, their stock, their fences, their dams,” she said.
“It’s basically a lifetime of development that’s just washed away in a few days so that’s going to take such a long time to rebuild if they even can.
“It just really shows how we really need to support these people as much and as best as we can, not just now, but into the future.”
Ms Johnston said the financial and mental burden will have a lasting impact.
“After losing so much stock the financial comeback from this is the resounding impact and the emotional and mental health as well,” she said.
“It’s some pretty horrible scenes that a lot of them have seen and had to clean up so they are definitely going to need mental health support.”
The mental toll
Toowoomba psychologist Allira Power said farmer’s work and lives are closely tied and when they lose one, they lose both.
Having worked with the Royal Flying Doctors and growing up on a property Ms Power has seen first hand how natural disasters impact farmers.
“When the weather causes such destruction, it’s not just causing destruction to their property, that is their income,” she said.
“The fact that it’s always unpredictable will always take its toll on people’s stress levels.
“I think mental health tends to do the most amount of damage in silence and in private.
“Getting it out of the shadows is part of the work that Farm Angels do. They get people talking about it.”
Farm Angels organised an International Women’s Day event in March this year which was postponed when ex-tropical cyclone Alfred wreaked havoc across Queensland.
The event has been rescheduled for June 13 at Fitzy’s and Ms Power will be one of the guest speakers.
Ms Power said in times of hardship it is important to stay connected to each other.
“Rural, regional, remote communities are incredibly resourceful at creating their own communities, but by the very nature of the work they do they might be isolated,” she said.
“I want to highlight just how important bringing women together is for women’s mental health.
“Magical things happen when you get a group of women in a room.”
The fundraising event provides funds for Farm Angels in their efforts to support struggling farmers, and further donations can be made to their Flooded Farmer Appeal at farmangels.org.au.
With a long road ahead, the organisation will continue making trips to help the affected Queensland communities over the next few months and even years.
The International Women’s Day lunch has already sold out.
Originally published as Record breaking outback Qld floods: Farmers to face financial and emotional stress for years
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