Tiny homes could combat flood disasters and aid with mental health

The trauma of the floods has made getting back to normal an almost impossible task for Northern Rivers residents. Now a mental health expert is advocating for a new solution to get people back on their feet.

As floods swept through the Northern Rivers in 2022, many would’ve lapped up the chance to have been able to move their entire home.

Tiny homes are designed with movement and flexibility in mind, and one mental health expert says they could be the future for residents living in flood-prone areas.

Dang Nguyen, 46, has 18 years of experience as a psychiatrist and owns a tiny home.

When the floods hit, she took her script book and went to the high school evacuation centre to lend her services to those in need of mental health support.

“Everyone there had been affected in some way,” Dr Dang said.

Dr Dang Nguyen with her family in their tiny home that they can pack up and move if any form of disaster threatens them.

To ensure people in need still were able to access essential medications, she set up a small station to provide scripts, advice and counselling to those who all had their own stories of suffering and loss.

“For a lot of people, it was just nice to talk. Some of them had severe mental health issues,” Dr Dang said.

She encouraged many of them to engage with support even when they didn’t want to speak – or had lost hope.

“It was pretty confronting. Some people had to make horrific choices of what they’d take when they evacuated,” Dr Dang said.

She said many people only had one bare essential: either a wallet, a phone, their medication or their beloved pet.

The interiors of Dr Dang’s tiny home appear just as well-equipped as a regular home.

Thanks to her tiny home, Dr Dang was fortunate enough to have a place that wasn’t directly affected by the flood, and it may prove – after seeing the lasting trauma of the floods – to be a viable alternative for Lismore residents.

Dr Dang’s business in Lismore ‘Health Wise Innovation’ also extraordinarily being inundated and although she had to switch most patients to telehealth, she saw the desperate need for face-to-face services.

“People wanted a safe place where they could be seen in person. We used candlelights, battery lights and USB fans to circulate air,” she said.

A tiny solution

Dr Dang encourages those to consider a tiny home as a way of dealing with mental health post-flood.

She said a sense of community and socialisation is crucial in reconnecting people.

“Living in a caravan park really helps people connect with each other, this is what we need for mental health: connection and support,” she said.

The majority of Lismore homes weren’t flood insured due to the excessive costs however tiny homes are classified under caravan insurance.

“You can move around whenever you want without any mortgage stress,” Dr Dang said.

Not only a cheaper and safer investment in flood plains, quickly relocating is also a possibility when disaster strikes.

“It takes under an hour to move, we disconnect the electricity and water and tow it to our ute,” Dr Dang said.

Dr Dang said it remains difficult to source council approved land for the tiny homes, and typically “yoyo’s” between different caravan parks.

Nellie Normal from Lismore is still suffering from the affects of the floods.

Nellie Normal, with her beloved pet, said she isn't sure she'll ever fully recover from flood trauma. Picture: supplied

“The mental strain is overwhelming, I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover,” Ms Normal said.

She considers herself lucky to have found a rental but said the cost is “only just manageable”.

“The price is the same as what I was paying in Lismore for a huge house but rentals are as rare as rocking horse sh*t now and prices are unaffordable for most people,” she said.

“Tiny homes are a wonderful idea if there’s anywhere to put them.”

Not only a getaway option for natural disasters, tiny homes may provide those suffering with poor mental health post-flood a way to reconnect with their communities.