Northern Rivers flood survivors complain of being treated like ‘garbage’ as buybacks program falls behind schedule
Northern Rivers flood victims in line for housing help more than a year after the 2022 disasters say their “future is in limbo” and the anxious wait has been “extremely stressful”.
Lismore
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Northern Rivers flood victims still seeking housing help more than a year after the 2022 disasters say their “future is in limbo” and the anxious wait has been “extremely stressful”.
It comes as it was revealed in recent days less than one in 20 people awaiting a buyback had heard from the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC).
Flood survivors say they are losing faith in the state government-appointed organisation and are increasingly desperate and frustrated.
In late April, NRRC chief executive officer David Witherdin said at an industry conference aimed at accelerating recovery there was still billions of dollars of work still to carry out, amid a worker shortage.
The NRRC was contacted for further comment on Thursday, but declined to respond.
South Lismore resident Harper Dalton said the only contact he has had with the NRRC was a single text message in October last year to confirm he was registered for a buyback.
Mr Dalton said since then he has called about once a week for updates, but has repeatedly been told his house is “still under assessment”.
“It‘s extremely stressful every day when I don’t know what’s happening or how I can move forward,” he said.
“It‘s getting increasingly hard to trust that they will actually meet any deadline when every time … they have not followed through.
“The uncertainty, I think, is the most re-traumatising factor for people living on the flood plains.”
East Lismore resident Henry Luong said the uncertainty was crippling.
“Our future is in limbo,” he said.
Mr Luong said interest rates increasing and the cost of living were hurting flood victims who were still paying mortgages on flood-ravaged homes they cannot even live in.
“People who lost their businesses and jobs, how are they going to survive?” he said.
Mr Luong said he felt authorities treated Northern Rivers flood survivors like “garbage” and he called on the NRRC to pay closer attention to the needs of the flood-impacted community.
“We are treated worse than refugees. Refugees don’t have bills to pay and the debt collector chasing them,” he said.
“I have so much rage.”
Naomi Worrall of North Lismore has finally been offered a buyback, but said the process “was like pulling teeth”.
Flood survivors said they were being told they have 30 days to accept a buyback offer, after the NRRC previously spoke of longer time frames.
“So people are being offered buybacks today, yesterday last week, and having to make these informed decisions because you‘re only given 30 days to accept the buyback or not based on incomplete information,” she said.
“So there‘s people that are leaving Lismore, because they don’t think the land is going to be available and there’s no clear pathway from the buyback into the resilient land program.”
Once Ms Worral realised she was “on the clock” to make a decision, she said it was a “whole different ballgame”.
Ms Worrall said, after meetings, she came to believe the NRRC “actually don’t understand the need for them to understand”.
“To say they don’t understand (the situation residents face) is quite an understatement,” she said.
“When you explain what your situation is to them in face-to-face meetings they look at you like an Ibis just dropped you in front of them and you sprouted a daisy from your forehead.”
Eligibility assessments have now been carried out for little more than 1000 of the 6500 homeowners registered for a buyback.
The NRRC was originally slated to let flood-affected residents know about eligibility by the end of April – which has now become “mid-2023”.
Details on floodsafe land suitable for redevelopment to help relocate flood victims was due on public exhibition “from late May”.
Ms Worrall said she moved to a neighbouring town because she could not “gamble” on land being made available
“And NRRC weren’t ready for that. So they had me on the clock to take up my offer but clearly had none of their systems set up to do what they said they were going to do,” she said.
“It was a nightmare.”
Ms Worrall said she was disappointed in the relocating option being just a “pipe dream” and couldn’t risk waiting a year for answers.
“It’s nowhere near that and it’s nowhere near as certain.
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