Flood victim Wayne McDonald returns home after 623 days
It has been a learning curve for an Idalia flood victim who has spent that last 20 months rebuilding his life.
Townsville
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An Idalia man whose house had to be gutted after the 2019 floods has finally moved back into his home.
Wayne McDonald, 50, lost a lot of his worldly possessions when 60cm of water flowed through his home during the February 2019 flood, but in the proceeding 20-month journey to rebuild his home and life he learnt a lot about himself.
“I was so worried about our possessions like the couch, but it all got destroyed anyways,” he said.
“Possessions are really nothing. Just as long as you have your health and family, that is the most important thing.”
It hasn’t been an easy journey though, with builders forced to gut the first floor of the four-bedroom home in March last year, then due to cracks in the ceiling caused by movements in the concrete slab when it dried out the second storey also had to be gutted five months later.
Since February 8 last year, Mr McDonald and his partner, along with their Italian greyhound Bella and two cats, were living in a South Townsville apartment.
Construction on the house began on March 30 this year and is 90 per cent complete.
Mr McDonald said his life consisted of “multiple” daily trips to Bunnings to add the finishing touches to his home.
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“I look back now and just think how unprepared we were and all the things I would do so differently now,” he said.
“I can’t remember much from the month of February actually, I was going at a hundred miles an hour trying to catch my tail.”
Mr McDonald founded the Facebook group Flood Evacuated Displaced United People after struggling with his insurance claim last year.
The group provided support to Townsville homeowners who needed help to lodge their insurance claims.
He said that due to coronavirus the group had been unable to hold meetings but most of the members had moved back home.
Almost 3300 properties were identified with damage ranging from minor to severe from the floods.
According to the Australian Financial Times, insurance losses peaked at $1.24bn from 30,000 insurance claims.
Originally published as Flood victim Wayne McDonald returns home after 623 days
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