NORTH Queensland residents still reeling from the financial and personal losses from the 2019 flood are urged to access available help, as cut off dates edge closer.
Affected residents will never forget the first week of February, 2019 after historical rainfall caused riverbanks to break, towns cut north and south of Townsville and a sea of water to fill homes and businesses when the Ross River Dam gates were opened on February 3.
By the time the mud settled, thousands had been evacuated to take refuge in emergency centres across the city, suddenly without a home and starting to count their damage bills.
About 3000 homes were damaged by floodwaters.
Two years on and many residents are yet to return, or in worse cases, people forced to live with harmful mould and structural damage because of financial pressures and insurance blunders.
But unbeknown to many – help remains available.
Established by the Townsville Local Recovery and Resilience Group (TLRRG), Team Townsville has been focused on rebuilding infrastructure, kickstarting an economic recovery, providing social support and protecting the environment.
Townsville Community Information Centre Coordinator Teresa Hudson urged people to get in contact with the support agency before a range of government grants and funding dried up, with some as soon as June 30 this year.
“It was 40 organisations at the table every week who could fund and support the response on the ground,” Mrs Hudson said.
“Everyone of those people is passionate about making sure those supports are there as people try and bounce back.”
Mrs Hudson said the hardest part of providing assistance has been the reluctance of people to allow help, despite being in their deepest time of need.
To break the ice, a series of Café Conversations have been scheduled to pop up in neighbourhood coffee shops around Townsville’s worst affected areas to entice residents to share their experiences and accept help still on offer.
“We’ve struggled to support people because they’re going on about their business saying someone else always has it worse, she said.
“They try and do it all alone until they can’t and that’s often when you need multi agency support to get them through that, and their case becomes complex.
“So what we’re saying to people is let us help you because you deserve it and help is available – it was a traumatic experience and not something you should have to do alone.”
The Queensland Structural Assistance Grants, which are only available to those who do not have insurance offers up to $10995 for one person, or $14685 for a family of two or more. These grants end in the coming weeks.
Medical assistance including social and mental health support is available through the Townsville University Hospital until June 30.
Help will continue to be available through the Townsville Community Rebuild Project, a local initiative assisting residents who are unable to repair their flood affected properties back to a safe and habitable condition.
Led by Combined Churches Townsville, the project is funded through government grants and generous donations from local charities and businesses to employ qualified trades to complete repair work.
Chairman Reverend Bruce Cornish said the project, backed by the Salvation Army, Rotary, Department of Communities and other donors has been life changing for so many residents.
The only challenge now is to continue reaching those in need.
“Because of their mental health since the flood, there are still people who may have perhaps been out of their homes and then couldn’t get repaired and so they went back into their house and say ‘well, I just got to put up with this because I can’t afford it and have no money so I got used to living like that’,” Mr Cornish said.
“So I guess the big thing is that if there are people in that situation then they can certainly reach out and we will do whatever we can to help.”
Hermit Park resident Gail Barnes, 77 and her husband have lived in their home since she was just shy of her 21st birthday. It has housed generations of memories and provided a home to their children but as the water receded in February 2019, her worries were just beginning.
Mrs Barnes had a fight on her hands to get insurance repairs.
“The house was so mildew,” Mrs Barnes said.
“ The only thing they (insurance) covered was the mould spraying inside but they wouldn’t do anything else.
“My husband was sick, he’d had septicaemia and I didn’t want him to get even more sick and it was just such a stressful time trying to sort stuff out downstairs that was damaged but they wouldn’t take anything away and said they don’t touch it.”
Thankfully, the team at the Community Rebuild Project caught wind of Mr and Mrs Barnes tough situation and lent in to help, supplying trades and funding for a new roof for the elderly couple.
Mr Barnes died shortly after the leaking roof was repaired.
“He was very ill and ended up having a massive heart attack but I think he felt better knowing I was going to be looked after because he always did everything around the home and just hated that he couldn’t fix it,” Mrs Barnes said.
“I didn’t want to do anything in case I needed that money for the funeral and I had to leave money to transfer the house to my name and for medical.
“I didn’t know what to do and it was just such a big relief. It was amazing. I couldn’t take it on alone. Honestly, I couldn’t.”
For more information on Cafe Conversations and help available, visit https://www.facebook.com/droughtfloodaus/, or www.droughtandflood.gov.au.
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