Houses likely to be pulled down after horrendous storm draws comparisons with bushfires
Comparisons with 2019/20 bushfires drawn as Corindi faces long road to recovery
Coffs Harbour
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With early indications that a number of homes could be demolished following last week’s horrendous storm in Corindi, comparisons are being drawn with the 2019/20 bushfires.
Last week more than 300mm of rain fell in various parts of Corindi and Sherwood Creek, with the run-off causing flash flooding likened to a “tsunami”, destroying houses, agricultural infrastructure and vehicles in process.
The Advocate understands there could be as many as 12 homes pulled down, with a further 20 having sustained low to moderate water damage, meaning water flows of up to a metre ran through the building.
READ MORE: CORINDI STORM: ‘I don’t think people realise the magnitude’
Those assessments, carried out by the State Emergency Service, have been ongoing and Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh said information provided from landowners and Coffs Harbour City Council was with Resilience NSW.
As the community anxiously waits for a call to be made on whether or not a natural disaster is declared, Mr Singh urged people to report every bit of damage if they had not already done so.
In general terms, the declaration of a natural disaster would allow more funding and support to flow to the community.
Mr Singh recently spent time talking to affected residents at a makeshift recovery centre at the Corindi RFS shed and he said the most important issue in the immediate aftermath was that people were safe and had food and shelter.
“Corindi has always been a tight knight community and they are fortunate there are people who have dropped everything in their hour of need,” he said.
“People want reassurance they are not in this alone and the community hub is a really good place to come and meet up and share stories and on top of that get the help from the people that are there.”
Coffs Harbour City Council’s Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Mick Raby said the storm event was unique in that it was so localised yet so intense and “the sort of event you would expect to see every seven or eight generations”.
As with any disaster, Mr Raby explained processes were already in motion to “ramp up” the recovery phase, and while support was already forthcoming from Council and charities like the Red Cross, it took time.
The first formal multi-agency meeting is due to be held on Monday and Mr Raby, who is also Council’s Local Emergency Management Officer in disasters such as this, said all decisions would be sent back to the community.
“(This) is on an equivalent scale to what we saw in the bushfires in 2019/20 which would be an indicator that this is going to be a very long recovery for some individuals,” he said.
Council has begun removing flood damaged items and will continue roadside collection on Monday while a team have been assessing septic systems, which have become a huge issue for the community.
Many systems were damaged, destroyed or inundated with water during the storm.
Mr Raby said Council has also activated the local laboratory to test drinking water, offering free tank refills to those people whose water was contaminated.
More information on available assistance can be found at the recovery noticeboard the Amble Inn Hotel in Corindi, on Council’s Facebook page or by contacting Council directly.
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