Mullumbimby flood: Community rallies around flood-hit region

Residents of a northern NSW town have been stranded in a telecommunications black hole as they dig themselves out of flood catastrophe. Here’s how they are doing it.

Residents of Mullumbimby and the surrounding districts have rallied to dig themselves out of extensive flood destruction that has left many without phone or internet.

Ella Goninan is one of the community volunteers who has been instrumental to a mammoth response running out of the Mullumbimby Civic Hall on Dalley Street.

“This is a mobilised community disaster support for the massive flood catastrophe,” Ms Goninan said.

“We’re receiving donations and people are coming here to get what they need.”

Everything from clothing to medical supplies, food, bedding, cleaning supplies, gas for cooking and more has been made available there.

Gallery: The faces of Mullumbimby’s flood crisis response

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Volunteers have kept donations on track with regularly updated whiteboards outside the hall, detailing what’s most needed and what is no longer – or not yet – needed.

“We’re also organising teams here that are going out to houses to help clean, do welfare checks, see who’s needing what,” Ms Goninan said.

She said that work included reconnaissance missions into isolated hinterland communities.

A notice showing needed goods and services outside the Mullumbimby Civic Hall during the flood disaster response on Friday. Picture: Liana Boss

Outside of the Mullumbimby township, things have been dire.

“Out of Mullumbimby we have the hills behind Mullumbimby and a couple of valleys that have been absolutely desecrated with landslides and literally every single one of them, in the upper valleys, have had all their causeways completely rippled out, multiple landslides blocking access in multiple places,” she said.

Ella Rose Goninan has been one of the community volunteers playing a crucial role in co-ordinating a flood response effort out of the Mullumbimby Civic Hall. Picture: Liana Boss

Single mum’s mud army

Cécile Dehant escaped her home near central Mullumbimby on Monday after waking to find water running through her home.

“I didn’t even have any warning, I hadn’t seen anything,” she said.

She had checked the river height before going to sleep, but later had a nightmare about her two children being in danger.

Cécile Dehant inside her flood-damaged Mullumbimby home. Picture: Liana Boss

“I woke up … to go and check them in the bedroom and that’s when I came out of my bed and my feet were in the water,” she said.

Within half an hour, the water was halfway to knee height.

When she looked outside, the water was above the top of her letterbox.

With more water rushing into the house, she managed to get her children to safety.

Cécile Dehant (second from left) outside her Mullumbimby home with friends Lalo, Mathieu Carlot and Jonathan Richer, who were helping with the clean-up. Picture: Liana Boss

When the river subsided, there was a layer of mud through the house.

Ms Dehant has had a team of friends on deck helping to deal with the damage.

The owner of her rental has meanwhile told her they can do whatever they need to make the home safe.

“That’s a relief because at least I know I can come back here, even though I’m going to be without a home for some time,” she said.

A man hoses off a mud-strewn pavement outside one of Mullumbimby’s many flood-affected homes. Picture: Liana Boss

Although she still has friends stranded in the Palmwoods area, Ms Dehant said the way the community was rallying together was heartwarming.

“The army needs to be here now to help people,” she said.

“From what I see, it’s only the community at the moment. That’s where the strength is, I guess.”

Music shop among many affected Mullumbimby businesses

Benji Keogh is the owner of Son of Drum music shop in Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby.

Mr Keogh said he wasn’t able to get to his business until Thursday, hampered by the flooding in Murwillumbah to the north, where he lives.

“The roads were cut out of Murwillumbah,” he said.

“Our house was inundated … and we lost a few things.”

Son of Drum music shop owner Benji Keogh outside his flood-affected Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby business on Friday. Picture: Liana Boss

He said about nine inches of water went through his shop.

“It was just enough to get underneath everything and just send it flying over the floor, taking out the other instruments on the way down,” Mr Keogh said.

Some of the impacted instruments were delicate pieces, he said.

Friends and strangers alike have been helping Mr Keogh to clean up the shop and its salvageable contents.

Community college looks to recovery

Byron Shire councillor Cate Coorey spent time at the community college where she works on Friday.

“We got about a foot of mud through the building,” she said.

“I couldn't get over here because there was no petrol for a while but today (Friday) I managed to make it.

“We’re just trying to get the college back together so we can get students back and people resuming their lives.”

Byron Shire councillor Cate Coorey outside the Mullumbimby Civic Hall on Friday. Picture: Liana Boss

Ms Coorey said her sons were meanwhile helping with the massive recovery effort in Lismore.

“Everybody I know that can do something is out working so hard and the co-ordination is amazing,” she said.

“With the lack of telecommunications … these people who’ve managed without all that stuff are heroic.”

Back in the Civic Hall, Ms Goninan said co-ordinators were doing their best to be in touch with the Australian Defence Force.

Mullumbimby resident Sasha Mainbridge outside her flood-affected home. Picture: Liana Boss

“We’re basically pleading for assistance,” she said.

“In terms of how that’s all being managed it feels (like) a system that’s all above us and not talking to us and yet we’re on the ground with all the information.”

Ms Goninan said she understood why services were so stretched, with the disaster reaching across northern NSW and further south.

“We’re all humans, but it’s exhausting, it’s devastating,” she said.

“Everyone’s in various degrees of trauma.”

John Fitzgerald outside his home in Mullumbimby which was flooded this week. Picture: Liana Boss

She said people’s mental health was being compromised in a lot of ways.

“We’re all trying to remind ourselves now this is a marathon, not a sprint,” she said.

She said the way people had turned out to support each other was inspiring.

“Disasters, as much as they are devastating, they’re equally heartening because of the human spirit that rises in these times and we all get to actually embody our humanity,” she said.

“All the barriers that we normally have that separate us … just come down and people are just here for one another and that’s just an amazing, inspiring thing to see: how much energy people have, how much generosity people have.”