Flood recovery progresses slowly, but more needs to be done, says Cabonne Mayor
After being displaced for almost nine months, long-time Eugowra resident Grace Katon has celebrated her 83rd birthday by moving back into her own home.
Grace is the first Central West flood victim to move out of one of the temporary housing pods installed in the wake of the catastrophic Eugowra floods of November last year.
While this is another milestone in the step towards recovery, Cabonne Mayor Kevin Beatty says there is still a long way to go.
“There is progress over in Eugowra, albeit slow, it is happening. The tradies are in there, and there is work being done, but there is a lot more work to be done, that’s for sure,” said Cr Beatty.
“We’ve still got people fighting insurance companies, we’ve still got people that have had insurance knocked back, and the road ahead for them is very difficult. And there’s some people who are just not insured and don’t have the finances to do their renovations or to repair their home. These are the issues we face and therefore, we are going to need a lot more financial assistance out in Eugowra, but also right across Cabonne.”
Grace and her dog Honey were able to live in the temporary housing pod while her home’s kitchen, bathroom and walls were repaired. She is one 88 households so far across the Cabonne, Forbes and Parkes Local Government Areas who have been given emergency shelter as part of the NSW Government’s free Pods on Private Property Program. Another 10 pods are in the final stages of fit-out and 130 pods in total are expected to be installed across the Central West by the end of August. The decommissioned pods will be used again in the area or across NSW as part of future disaster recovery efforts.
While the program has been beneficial, Cr Beatty is calling for an extra hand and took advantage of last week’s visit to Eugowra by NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully and Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib, to put forward the need for Cabonne to be included in the Resilient Homes Fund.
“Part of that is a buyback package for homes that are really impacted in the floodways and others is to raise these homes out of harm’s way, and to build back with materials that are more flood-resistant,” Cr Beaty said
“During the ministers visit it was discussed, and I’ve asked them to go back and discuss this with the premier because it was something we identified earlier before the election. We were working with the previous government with it, and now we need to work with this government with it.”
The Resilient Homes Fund has been developed by the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation to improve the resilience of homes in high-risk flood areas in the Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley, and Tweed local government areas, but has not stretched to Cabonne.
During his visit to Eugowra last week, Minister Jihad Dib said that he understands there are many challenges still facing the Central West, but assured people that the government is committed to supporting communities as they recover and rebuild.
A new Community Recovery Officer will soon be working with the Forbes Shire Council to work with community groups as well as disaster management and recovery stakeholders.
“We want to get a clear understanding of how infrastructure and reinstatement works are progressing and to hear from the community about how they are being supported, including those who have been displaced from homes,” he said.
“Disasters have long-lasting impacts and local Community Recovery Officers are one of the ways we can provide practical, on the ground help. By working with community groups and recovery agencies, they can help residents, farmers and businesses get back on their feet.”