Flood Appeal for NSW Solo Parent Families who have Lost Their Homes
Update
16 Apr 2022
~ The CBD of Lismore feels like a graveyard, a ghost town ~
To date we have been able to raise enough money to gift 25 solo-parent families $1000. Amazing and Beautiful.
This gesture is so important to these families - just to know that they are thought of, empathised with and cared for. It’s been a surreal couple of months and a lot of parents are still facing great uncertainty.
Our community remains in a state of collective grief. Shocking, raw and heartbreaking scenes are still part of every day.
Driving to a friend's house I passed through town at dusk. It was haunting. House after house stands destroyed, gutted, windows smashed, yards trashed, empty. There are no lights, no power. No movement.
Some people are returning to their homes, not because they are habitable, but because they have nowhere else to go. Easter holiday makers are in, emergency housing occupants out.
This region will remain in crisis for years. These people are and will remain for a long time internally displaced climate refugees.
I wanted to share with you where some of our crowdfund families are at. These are just a snapshot in the long recovery timeline.
Leah, who’s currently shifting week to week from caravan parks.
“Good Friday is usually my favourite day of the year. Today, I’m crying in a public shower, surrounded by hundreds of strangers (who all merrily want to be here) and this is the only Place I can get some space. The reasons why I am so weak and shattered that tears are the only answer, are too long to articulate - especially using only my thumbs and because I’m in a cubicle highly sought after .
Today - I really want to go home.
Today, I don’t think I can do this”
Kate, who on top of losing her home still stepped up to initiate and coordinate a Civilian Critical Response Unit for rescues when the flood hit
“I woke this morning, unable to place where we were, the reality taking a moment to hit.. oh, that’s right.. we are flood affected, in a new place. A kick to the guts after a restful sleep, a new reality that I’ve had to deal with for weeks. I’m exhausted from the moving around, the emotional recalibration that losing our home, animals and most of our stuff, has brought. The world seems to have been flipped inside out, nothing seems ‘normal’. I miss just being with friends, dancing, playing, laughing about the mundane. I’m sick of feeling raw, of seeing, feeling, breathing in the fear pheromones that are released by all members of my family, and many of my friends, each time a rain event is predicted and occurs. How can we rebuild our lives when the chaos seems never ending? My body aches, we need to stop to get treatments and find routine, aching for that. Still I find the blessings in the generosity and warmth of others, all of whom are affected by vicarious, little T or Big T trauma.”
Lauren, a mum who escaped a house fire last year and now a flood
“I was told on the phone today we can’t get rental support to pay for the park the caravan is in because we haven’t suffered enough, our home still looks habitable in the photo I had of us on the boat after I spent hours sitting in a kayak crying to my parents and friends we were surely going to die this time. Now I have to wait for flood water to recede AGAIN to even gain access to the rental we were kicked out of because it’s been completely gutted because the water destroyed every wooden surface, so I can take photos of said destruction to prove it's not fit for a 3yo to live in. I can’t tell them I had an impeccable rent history, or we were ahead in rent payments so there was absolutely no reason my landlord might want us gone apart from the fact it has no power, no water, no kitchen, no doors, no inbuilt cupboards, water under the floor and it’s leaking from the walls badly enough they’re growing their own mouldy carpet. Instead I’m spending hours doing media interviews in the hope someone out there might even begin to comprehend that I’m not the only one going through this! There are THOUSANDS of us in this boat, people are trying to survive and put one foot in front of the other. I can tell you from experience, living in survival mode after trauma is detrimental. We need housing and financial support, we need the red tape abolished and we need to know things are going to be okay. I cried in my interview when he asked what my plan will be in 6 months, I just don’t know.”
Together, we’ve helped spread a little more love back to these shattered families, and I thank you deeply for that.
We’ve got 2 families left on our list that we’d still love to be able to gift $1000. In our last week of campaign, can you help us raise that? Sending this campaign as a small group message or email to friends, colleagues and family works best.
Thank you,
Nina, Carly and Char xx
Update
24 Mar 2022
~ I really knew we were in trouble when the SES told us to get on the roof ~
For many solo-parent families, the initial trauma of (barely) escaping the floods is now compounded by a deepening sadness at the overwhelming recovery required. Will we make it? Some won't.
This flood obliterated all known historic levels by 2 metres. That's a whole floor higher. The sheer volume and ferocity of water was enormous. Close to 3000 houses have already been destroyed to a point declared 'uninhabitable'. Many more are still unsafe for occupancy, with cleanup, mould and contamination problems making 'internal displacement' a looming issue.
That's why I wanted to share Karen's story with you. It helps us to see what solo-parents are still moving through, almost one month after the flood, and why your help matters.
Love Nina, Carly and Char xoxo
..................................................
On Sunday 27th February my children and I were getting ready for flooding to occur in Lismore. After experiencing the 2017 flood we made sure we were ready by getting batteries for the radio, making sure the gas bottle for the BBQ was full, and by having candles and torches on hand. Going by the last flood we decided we would stay in the house as the word around town was that this time it would not be as bad. We did take our car to higher ground just in case and got a cab home.
I was woken at 5:30am on Monday 28th by my boys and could not believe what I was seeing. A normally calm person, I believe I went into panic right then as the water was just under the floorboards of our second story home, much higher than 2017, and it was obvious that the situation was not good. I prayed for a miracle but it was not to be. Looking down, the water started seeping through the boards of the timber floor and the carpet in the bedrooms was becoming sodden.
I quickly told everyone to get dressed and pack a bag with things they would need. I think I walked around in circles as my mind could not think of what to pack? What to wear? With shaking hands I made the first call to the SES but could not get through so I then called 000. They recorded our situation and placed us in line with SES to be rescued. They also confirmed the gravity of the situation and that there were many many more in our situation. We all started to put valuables, clothes etc. up higher on furniture and gather the animals, 2 dogs, one cat and a guinea pig. The dogs went up on the lounge suite which soon started to float around the room as the water was coming in so quickly. It was raining heavily as we gathered what belongings we could in shopping bags and found a couple of waterproof things to protect us from the rain should we need to get on the roof.
We had the radio going and could see all of the messages for help on Facebook. We saw a family with small children on the railway line at the back of our house. As the line is quite high they were obviously trying to escape the flood but found that they were now trapped. We saw their post for help on Facebook but we were not able to help. We saw many neighbours out on their front verandahs as we were waiting for help and a few boats coming and going. A guy lying on a surfboard rescued two older people off of their low set house. To be honest, the sequence of these events is a bit of a blur. Probably due to the adrenaline pumping through my system.
I called SES and 000 a second time when the water in the house was at our knees and then again when it was getting toward our waists. The last time I was told to get on the roof if it was safe to do so. Well I really knew we were in trouble when the SES told us to get on the roof! I was in complete panic with the thought of having to seriously consider getting us and our animals onto the roof of our house. I was not even sure I would be able to do this without slipping and losing my grip. I made a plan to wait until the water was high enough that I could virtually swim up. The water still rising fast, my oldest son climbed onto the roof and we passed the animals up. We were able to get the cat into a cat box but kept the guinea pig with my youngest under his shirt.
The boys had been ringing their father who lived at Modanville out of flood. We decided that things were bad enough to ask him to put his boat in and rescue us. When he realised the gravity of the situation he agreed to do so but found the boat, that was kept at another property, was on the other side of a creek that was now over the road. Luckily a 4WD happened to appear and drove through the water, something his car could not do. The driver then took him to get the boat and get it over the flooded roadway.
Meanwhile the water was rising and we were now standing on a table as it would have been chest high by now. A guy in a canoe came by and told us he was there to get our neighbour who is on her own and legally blind. She was on her roof and I later found out that she had to put her dog on something that was floating, kiss her goodbye and watch her float away as she could not get her on the roof with her. We handed the canoe guy our little dog who is old and also mostly blind and told him to tell the neighbour it was our little Ollie and ask her to keep him safe.
Our possessions were floating around us and we were cold and shaking. Finally at around 11am, the boy's father arrived in his boat and we all climbed in. I watched my lovely little home disappear as we took off toward Dunoon road. The things we saw on the way were devastating, many animals in distress, so many boats out rescuing and large obstacles floating everywhere. We were met by a firetruck and were loaded in dog, cat and guinea pig, and were driven to my children's fathers home. The boy's stepmother offered to ride on the back while we climbed into the safety of the cab.
I can't believe that lives can be turned upside down so quickly. All the plans I had for much of my future now have to be reassessed as many will not be achievable anymore. It is unknown when we can move back into our home but at least it is still structurally sound. There is still so much to do, repair and replace. The muddy pile of hard work for broken belongings has been removed from the front of the house. I can't believe the sadness I felt from seeing that pile of rubbish go.
I'm living in a state of sadness and guilt. Guilt for putting my boys through such a traumatic event when I could have evacuated and guilt for being a lot luckier than some and just sad about everything. I'm trying to stuff down the sadness and keep going but tears are never too far away. Why do I always want to cry when someone is nice to me?
- Karen, Lismore
Update
22 Mar 2022
~ We can't go home, our house is still not safe ~
It is heartening to see our campaign still going strong. Every day we reach a new goal of being able to support another solo-parent family in need. We hope we can continue to reach many more!
I wanted to share a few more stories of solo-parents, particularly these ones about some of the ongoing health impacts of the flood.
Although the first layer of sludge may be washed away in houses with a hope of being restored, mould, damp and contamination issues are now looming. Parks are still closed, beaches are still brown and frothy. It's still a way off before we can call our homes and spaces 'safe'.
These solo-parents need your support. The difference YOU are making, on the ground, to those who need it is meaningful.
Please reach out to others you know who can do the same.
Thank you,
Nina, Carly and Char xxoo
.........................................
I woke early in the morning on Monday the 28th. Just in time to save my daughters rabbits from drowning in their hutch in our garden. When I saw the water was less than a foot from the bottom of our house I knew it was time to get out. I got the rabbits inside up into the loft. As an artist my 2 most valuable things are my art collection and my own paintings, everything else to me is replaceable. I got all that up into the loft with the rabbits and within that 40 minutes the water was coming through the front door and floor boards. My daughter has uncontrolled epilepsy and I did not want to stay in the house for numerous reasons. So luckily a friend was staying with us that had a big 4wd and got out with our cat Callie and my daughters medication. We drove up to a friend's house up north to wait it out but obviously then could not get back home for 4 days due to the highway flooding. I was so fortunate that friends helped clean the mud before I even got home. However, once I did get home the mould and dampness and the smell was settling in. My daughter and I have been in temporary accommodation now for 3 weeks as I have wanted a safe and secure place for her to be in to help with her health and mine as I have a severe mould allergy. We are ready to see our cat and get home and get back into life.
- Courtney, Mullumbimby
I was one of the lucky ones: I was on a weekend away so my family didn’t have to wade through sewerage for our lives, like so many of my friends are traumatised by. I was however separated from my son for days and to hold him again was relief beyond measure. We returned to our uninsured rental home, stopped by his outdoor play equipment had moved approximately 30m blocking our entrance. Inside we had rotting food enmeshed with family heirlooms.
Even from the smell I knew our lives have changed forever.
My son’s school has also been closed indefinitely and right now it’s a minute by minute saying to my 7yo and community at large “we’ll be ok” while my mind is tumbling “just don’t just ask me how yet”. We’re now effectively homeless, staying with friends and at the mercy of any already busted housing market of NSW north coast. Without the help of family friends we would not float.
- Mary-Ellen, Lismore
Update
17 Mar 2022
~ Our house floor level was 13 metres so we decided to stay...~
For today's update we are focussing on Keyarrah, a solo-mum with a 3yo daughter who were rescued as they climbed out of their top storey window.
They are now homeless, moving between friends. Many solo-parents are in this same situation.
We have now 25 solo-parent families who have signed-up in need of support. These families have either lost their home, or had it severely damaged, in the floods.
Our goal is to raise $1000 for each family. We've hit an inspiring amount of $16,000+, but you can see where we are going with this. We still need to raise more.
Can you help? Do you know of businesses, organisations or networks that you can share these stories with? Let's keep this campaign growing.
https://www.mycause.com.au/page/277704/flood-appeal-for-nsw-solo-parent-families-who-have-lost-their-homes
Thank you,
Nina, Carly and Char xoxo
KEYARRAH'S STORY
My name is Keyarrah. I was living in East Lismore NSW with my three year old daughter Ngamu and our house mate Jackson when we were inundated with flood water. Our house floor level was 13 metres. we decided to stay to wait out the flood waters as it had never reached the floor where our house was situated.
At 4:00 am Monday 28th of February the flood water topped the levy, two hours before predicted. I woke at 4:30am to the sound of heavy rain and things banging around in flowing water under our house. Jackson came into my room with a fearful look on his face and we both felt something big was about to happen. We walked around the house in the darkness as the power cut out instantly, which added to the eeriness and fear we were experiencing. We walked around with a torch filling up bottles of water and trying to stay calm, not knowing how we should be preparing for a flood. No services had given us clear instructions on how to prepare for a major flood.
By 5:30am the water was halfway up our stairs and rapidly rising, at this stage we had started to lift our belongings to benches. Being in the dark exacerbated the intensity of the plummeting rain and rising waters outside. At 7:00am it was still dark and the light had just started peaking through the thick dark rain clouds. The water started to enter our house, Ngamu woke up to water on the floor and her toys floating past her. As you can imagine she was in shock. We still hadn't packed an emergency bag for any of us. I tried my best to put on a happy face for Ngamu but would walk into another room and break down in fear. I called SES, Police and ambulance in desperation for someone to help us. I was desperately trying to find clothes that were dry for Ngamu, but everything was wet. I remember sitting on the side of the bed when it started to float and the water was lapping over my knees. Ngamu was panicking and busting to use a toilet but they started to overflow into the house. Within 20 minutes the water rose from our ankles to our waist.
The house became a moving organism with the kitchen spices colouring the water turmeric yellow, while shoes bobbed like apples. Our large furniture started collapsing in on us. The mission had changed from attempting to salvage our most prized possessions and packing essentials to finding our escape route. I was preparing to climb onto the slippery tin roof off the veranda with Ngamu, as no emergency service had made contact with us. But as we climbed out of the front window the neighbours were being rescued and we hailed them down to assist us. The rescuers were two 'regular' men in a tin boat, it couldn't have been a more Aussie rescue effort. We were dropped on Ballina road and our friend just happened to be there and drove us to a dry home that was opened up by a caring friend and valued community member.
We are now homeless but we are so grateful for the love and support of our community. My daughter got quite sick after being exposed to flood waters which has made staying with others very difficult. But we are resilient and with the love and support of our community I think together we will all recover.
Thank you for listening
Keyarrah
Update
12 Mar 2022
~ Canberra Embodied Dance Collection make a group donation ~
"We have a lot of heart and inner strength in Lismore but we really need all the support we can get."
- Mary-Ellen Powell, solo-mum
In a beautiful show of community spirit and support, we have passed $10,000 raised for solo-parents who have lost their home in the NSW floods. THANK YOU
Every day we continue to receive registrations from solo-parents needing support to rebuild their lives. Our aim is to raise $1000 for each family, which means we need to triple our efforts.
So when community projects, like the Canberra Embodied Dance Collective, step up to offer group donations, we're ecstatic!
The Canberra Embodied Dance Collective is a monthly dance offering to express, release, and experience joy through movement. For the month of March, all tickets to this dance offering will be made as a donation to The Flood Appeal of NSW Solo Parent Families.
We'd like to say a big THANK YOU to the people dancing in heart and spirit with us at the Canberra Embodied Dance Collective. We're so grateful for your thoughts and sincerely appreciate your generosity in donations.
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things" - Mother Teresa
Update
09 Mar 2022
~ I went out to the front of the house and water was all I could see ~
We’re approaching $10,000 which is such a heartening response from the community in such a short space of time. THANK YOU.
It’s been a week and the rescues, aid drops and cleaning continues - it’s such a mammoth task. Much of it is driven by the community and for these single parent families, it’s a tough juggle of trying to care for traumatised children and salvage a home so they have somewhere to go. Some of their homes have already been declared uninhabitable.
Here’s another story from a solo-parent in The Channon, who spent the night holding her kids, dressed in wetsuits and life vests, on top of a bus until they were rescued by their neighbours in canoes. Please donate and share in your networks - community is where we are getting the most support from right now.
............................................................................................................................
My name is Elina Salokangas. I'm a single mum of 9yo girl and 6yo boy. We live in The Channon, NSW. This is our story.
Sunday night the power went out at 11pm. So I had flashlights ready. There was a teeny bit of water coming into the living room under the skirting board, which happens sometimes when it rains. So I was up mopping. Then when I went to the toilet around 1pm, flushed it, the water came up halfway. I thought, “That's strange…” I went out to check the creek level on the side terrace (there's a normally dry creek next to the house, about 5m below the level of the house) and I saw the water level was up to the terrace!! That has never happened before!
I went out to the front terrace to check if I could see any water, and water was all I could see! I quickly rescued the bunnies - the bottom floor of their cage was already under. Then I woke up the housemate in the studio. Moved my campervan on higher grounds. Then went back mopping... until the water started to come in from everywhere!!
My first thought was to lift everything from bottom shelves and cupboards up higher, onto top of the shelves, thinking I was saving all the most important things... little did I know that all the shelves and furniture would fall over anyway. My son was sleeping on the couch. I picked him up when the water level was almost touching him. Put him down on my bed, next to his sister. Quickly went to get some jumpers for them... wetsuits... then woke the kids up, carried them to the kitchen table and put the wetsuits on. My housemate had two life vests as well, which I put on them.. then the table started to wobble and float! Carried the kids to the kitchen counter, while putting up the ladder, and then carried them to the ladder and up to the bus roof. So grateful my bus was parked under the terrace roof 2 weeks prior! And you could quite easily climb to the roof of the house from the top of the bus, if necessary.
Last thing I got from the garage was a tarp, kids floaties, saw, rope, secateurs... water up to my belly button by then. I sawed the legs off from the little bunny cage and so we could fit them on the bus roof as well.
By then it was maybe 3am? It all happened so fast, from no water to waist height in 30mins, I think! I was too wet to go to the roof, smelling like sewerage, so I ended up standing on top of the ladder, leaning on the bus, the rest of the night. Also to make sure the ladder wouldn’t float away.
By the sunrise the flood levels dropped. I got down, started to clean up the sludge from the front terrace and gather all the bits and pieces, while the kids were still sleeping up on the bus roof. It was still raining non stop, and less than an hour later the water started to rise up again!! I climbed back to the roof. About 1m water on the terrace and indoors... during the night it peaked at 1.8m indoors, 2-3m around the house, up to 4m on the driveway... my hitop campervan was almost totally under
When my son woke up, he saw somebody swimming in the flood waters!! We could not believe our eyes! It was our neighbour, the landlady's nephew, coming to check on us if we were Ok. First time ever I identified somebody as a True Blue Ozzie Hero! About half an hour later our other neighbours came in by canoes to rescue us! By then I felt totally dysfunctional, just so relieved and happy to be rescued. We survived. Can't stop thinking about how different the outcome it would have been if I would have gone to bed early, before 11pm, that night...
Elina Salokangas, The Channon NSW
Update
07 Mar 2022
~ Jane Holland donates her Deep Sleep Yin Yoga and private class proceeds for the month of March ~
“Our solo parent demographic here often don’t own homes, nor the insurance to cover everything we’ve lost. Finding grants that apply to our solo parent community beyond the one off disaster payment is impossible - this fundraiser is one of the only voices out there representing us and we are so grateful.” Leah Bee - one of the many of our solo parent fundraiser recipients.
As I write this we are just about to crack the $7,000 mark. That’s more than $1,000 per day being donated. Thank you so much to everyone here who has donated and shared already, and thank you to all of you who intend to do both or either. Let’s keep it growing for all these solo parent families!
People on our Fertile Ground and Melbourne Apothecary team are also rallying with more inspired action to help promote and contribute to the cause.
One such person is Jane Holland, nutritionist and yoga teacher, who is donating all of her Deep Sleep Yin Yoga proceeds for the month of March to this campaign, as well as half of her private class proceeds for the whole month too. THANK YOU JANE for your wonderful contribution!
If anyone would like to be in touch with other projects or inspired action to help raise funds for this campaign, please be in touch so we can help promote what you’re doing - via carly@fertileground.com.au
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”
- Helen Keller
Update
06 Mar 2022
~ Share this flyer ~
We’re well on the way to $5,000 now - thank you so much to everyone who has donated and shared. Let’s keep it going!
I’ve created a flyer that can be printed and put in your local letterboxes, work places, retail spaces, schools, community groups and more.
If you can, please print this one page flyer and help to spread the word in your local community to rally more help for these solo parent families in NSW floods who have had their lives as they knew them, obliterated.
You can easily access the flyer at this link:
www.bit.ly/flood-help-flyer
Thank you for any help you can give spreading the word about this.
Carly Woods
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members”
- Coretta Scott King
Update
05 Mar 2022
~ I left a flashing torch on the fence post, illuminating the house, deck lights on, hoping the SES would see us ~
We’re $7 away from surpassing $4,000 - that’s $1,000 per day being donated so far. Thank you everyone! Please keep sharing this fundraiser with your networks.
The story I’ve received to share with you today is from the amazing solo parent, Kate from Richmond Valley, NSW.
“My name is Kate, I was a volunteer firefighter with the RFS for over 4 years, and also a trained Case Manager/Support Facilitator. The skills and training I had from this saved our lives, for this I am forever grateful. We lived in Bungawalbin, on a 110 acre property we had rented for 4.5 months after being evicted due to a sale of our Upper Wilson’s Creek Property. We left on Sunday night, because the water had already come under the house and was rising at a rate that was mind blowing, metres per hour. I let our Budgies out, knowing they would be able to fly to higher points, and raised all belongings and furniture to higher points over hours. I mustered the Landlords cattle the day before in thigh deep + water through several complex scenarios including deep water, to the highest paddock on the property near the road. I was so glad I had done that, they would definitely have drowned otherwise. I took my 8YO daughter, our beloved 8YO rescue dog (member of our family) and drove to the neighbours, after leaving extra feed out and what I assumed at the time, was a barrier to water rising, a plastic storage tub, at the chook's house door.
I came back after another minimal sleep night of the heaviest rain I have ever heard, at 10:30am. The house had already been inundated, to floor height, I was absolutely shocked. I saw the chicken yard was 1m under water and left the car and my wet weather gear on the fence at a high dry point, and waded through 5ft deep water, over a fence to rescue the chickens, all 9 plus our rooster who snuggled into me to thank me, they had 20cm left till they would have drowned. My daughter has not only named them, they come to her and jump into her arms when called.. I managed to put 3 in the plastic tub to take back to her, but then bogged my car trying to turn around. The neighbour came to help out, and bogged her car, we had access to her partner's family Ute, which we drove back to the cars, i tried to two her out, unsuccessfully due to the conditions and angles. We saw 5 people carrying a motor, then a boat, attempting to get from Bungawalbin to Coraki, some shoeless, one, Craig, with a huge gash on his head. We begged them not to keep going, just to come and shelter with us, but they refused, and attempted to go on. We later got an urgent message on social media that they were in need of desperate evacuation and had chained themselves in the Tinny to a tree. I cried for them many times, desperately asking other emergency service and medical trained friends to call 000 as I couldn't call out, but could message. They survived thankfully, we later found out.
Then the water rose and rose, and we heard the neighbours on the other, much lower side hadn't been rescued yet and had lost all communication. I again asked friends to please, please call in the rescue knowing Lehann Suffolk and partner were mature aged, and much lower down than where we were. That night, after hearing choppers throughout the day go past, having logged the rescue for them, and us, I couldn't sleep. I left a flashing torch on the fence post, illuminating the house, deck lights on, hoping the SES would see us. We learned that SES and ADF were grounded at midnight by the time the messages came through, it was terrifying knowing how incredibly fast the water was rising and how inundated we were. At 4am after many days with minimal sleep, I thought I heard 3 voices and screaming.. I felt beyond desperate, worried the Suffolks had not survived. I kept messaging people and services asking for help. That next day I was worried the other lady with me had gone into Sepsis, and I felt I had started to go into shock, the water was still rising, and I was exhausted. We spent many hours outside trying to wave at Choppers. The first went straight over us, but the cloud cover was so thick that they missed us altogether. That moment was very disheartening, I thought we may not get rescued.
My daughter was so brave throughout, but I saw her struggling with the reality that we may/may not get rescued, the fact she learned our house was fully under and the gravity of the idea that we may need to not just leave Budgies AND chooks behind, but her beloved support dog. I was so glad that I could identify what was happening for her and hold her through it. When the chopper came, after I had suggested that we find fluoro's and other high visibility materials, which we laid down in the house yard and my neighbour laid on the road, after we waved and yelled and thought they may not find us, we were so, so relieved. I hugged Rob from the ADF thanking him, and then he told us that we couldn't bring our dog. It was heartbreaking for us both. I took her back to the house where I had laid all the dog food we had and a large bowl of fresh water and told her to "stay home". She got out and tried to follow us. My heart broke as I had to tell her to "go home". I was worried she would get hurt or traumatised further from the chopper. I will never forget her face, I just want her back with us. We then were airlifted to Lismore SCU Evacuation Centre, given fresh food, a bed and offer of clothes, medical support and toiletries and charging stations. The gravity of what we had been through was starting to hit me, but we are so grateful to be safe. My employers, from The Lismore App, now family, offered us a place in their home, which is where we have been since, in Gooonellabah. What blew me away most is that a lady came up to me and offered that we could go and stay in her Mum's granny flat, her name is Mim, and she could lend us a car.. everyone was so kind, I could never thank them enough. The best moment for me was when I was able to ask the man who had already been rescued in the chopper if he had come from the Suffolks property, the neighbours I thought I heard screaming and was desperately worried had drowned.. he confirmed they were all alive and not too unwell. That moment was just the most heartening of all. Thank you to all the rescue personnel, friends and community for your support to get us out, and to check in. It's made all the difference.”
- Kate, Richmond Valley NSW
Update
04 Mar 2022
~ I didn't have adequate support. I couldn't evacuate safely ~
Just over 48 hours have passed since launching this campaign and we've already surpassed $3,000. THANK YOU EVERYONE.
The story I’ve received to share with you today is from the incredible solo parent, Lauren from Lismore CBD, NSW. Please be aware that you may find this content distressing to read.
When we heard the news of the flood I immediately contacted my landlord who said in the 2017 flood my apartment was absolutely fine so I naïvely thought we would be okay to stay here and just use our gas camping stove for meals. I ran out and helped move things in the library in the Toy Library, and got some shopping and then settled in for a few days stuck in the house. We don’t have many support systems in the area where we can just rock up for a few days and expect them to accommodate us, even if there is the threat of disaster. By 11pm we were getting warnings that the flood was going to be bigger than predicted, and we’d need to evacuate.
I had already moved my car and I did not think it was safe to walk 3 km through low-lying streets with my three-year-old on my back so we decided to stay put. I flagged down a passing SES car but they said they were not taking pedestrians in their cars simply warning them to evacuate. We had no choice but to stay put and hope for the best. I called my Dad letting him know what was happening in case reception went and wrote a list of important phone contacts and sealed it in a ziplock and shoved it in my dry bag.
I rushed around moving things as high as possible, packing go bags and tying my kayak to the clothesline. A move I thought was futile at the time. At 2 o’clock I heard a large bang downstairs and alarms started blaring. The levy had broken and water was rushing so fast down our downtown apartment that trees were being snapped. A stray gas bottle smashed into our door. Cue panic - dressing myself and my 3yo and a plea to the universe that we would survive again. In January of 2021 I woke to almost our entire apartment on fire, it had just reached the hall outside our bedroom.
I scooped my 3yo out of bed and bolted, seconds after placing my feet in the garden from the bottom step both gas bottles exploded. Now we were living a similar horror again! Hours passed, frantic calls to both police and SES begging them to just take my daughter. The last SES call at 5am was met with a blunt ‘we aren’t coming into the CBD, good luck’ and an abrupt beep as they hung up.
I called Mum and Dad and choked out a goodbye. Called a friend and told her I didn’t blame her for the advice to stay in the apartment. By this point the water was up to my knees. My 3yo was being exceptionally calm and brave, I am so proud of her! I lifted her from the floating couch into the kayak and jumped in after her, balancing the 4 kittens we had recently rescued precariously at the front. We had about another 1m left on the tether before the top of the kayak would have been pulled under water. I had a knife ready to slash it. We were wearing helmets and she had a floaty, I had a head torch.
Even though the water was calm and slowly flowing away from the river, the rush of water I had seen earlier was so ferocious I was convinced we were dead if we entered it, kayak or not. I contemplated drowning my 3yo myself so I wouldn’t have to watch her suffer or be sucked away, I could at least tie her to me.
Tried to climb the roof, too high. More frantic calls to family. Suddenly a voice screaming my name in the distance. I sloshed over to the side of the balcony, it was my DAD! He had borrowed a boat, been stopped on roads four times by the SES before he found a way through. We were saved! Everyone loaded in, three wet bags with some clothes and my phone and wallet. We passed my neighbour who didn’t want to be rescued, a family of five up to their necks in the water trapped behind bars. I begged dad to save them but we couldn’t get the window open. A man lying still on a roof, someone floating in their top story. Countless others screaming from rooftops to be rescued.
At the end of the river near the large shopping centre there were police officers helping to get people out of boats. We jumped out and Dad grabbed something from his car to try and bust open the window. I waited for him to return, the tears were flowing. Four little faces and a mother came back with him, they had their heads turned to the side standing on a table by the time he pried the security screen off. We rushed them to the evac centre and everyone got fresh warm clothes. I hate to think of the others who died with the same fear we faced that night and I’m so grateful we have escaped near death, twice!
DONATIONS221
Anonymous
Wed, 8 Jun 2022
$ 582
$ 582
Jane Holland
Tue, 19 Apr 2022
$ 250
With so much love from my Yin Yoga communities xx
With so much love from my Yin Yoga communities xx
$ 250
Anonymous
Tue, 19 Apr 2022
$ 150
$ 150
Adelle Purbrick
Sun, 17 Apr 2022
$ 100
$ 100
lara Bickford
Wed, 13 Apr 2022
$ 100
Keep strong . From an Alice Miller parent
Keep strong . From an Alice Miller parent
$ 100
Anonymous
Sun, 10 Apr 2022
$ 50
$ 50
Investa Projects
Sat, 9 Apr 2022
$ 500
$ 500
Tina Manolitsas
Fri, 1 Apr 2022
$ 100
$ 100
Anonymous
Thu, 31 Mar 2022
$ 100
$ 100
Anne Corcoran
Thu, 31 Mar 2022
$ 100
Thinking of you & hoping you get the support you need
Thinking of you & hoping you get the support you need
$ 100