Flood

The former flood damaged Broadwater Public School is gone – demolished and only bare ground remains where playgrounds and classrooms once stood. Today, Monday, August 26, students, teachers and parents mark the start of construction on the rebuild of their village school more than two and a half years since the 2022 flood disaster.

Community engagement efforts in the Buloke Shire have highlighted the significant role online gaming plays in the lives of our residents, particularly among young people. Gaming is more than a pastime – it’s vital for community cohesion and recovery, as shown by the successful Level Up event at Sea Lake Neighbourhood House on Monday, with over 40 attendees, and another event set for Wycheproof on Sunday.

New data released by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) today shows that the impact of extreme weather on the Australian economy has more than tripled over the last three decades. Insured losses from declared insurance catastrophes have grown from 0.2 of GDP from 1995 to 2000 to 0.7 per cent for the last five years ... The new data analysis is contained in the Insurance Council of Australia’s Insurance Catastrophe Resilience Report 2023-24, released today.

Tonnes of flood-damaged firewood in Barmah Forest will now be made available to locals instead of being burnt by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). The wood has been pushed into 70 large piles throughout the forest and a DEECA spokesperson says “the flood-affected wood is being assessed and will be used for habitat and environmental projects within the park.

At a Community Meeting in Carisbrook ... the findings and recommendations of the Carisbrook Levee Independent Review were shared with residents ... The report has found that overall, there is confidence in the catchment modelling to which the Levee has been built.

Gannawarra Shire Council has welcomed the tabling of the Victorian Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee’s Final Report for the Inquiry into the 2022 Flood Event in Victoria, and will advocate for various key recommendations to be actioned.

Landslips, roads, bridges and a new clubhouse have had tenders announced by Richmond Valley Council so work can begin. Most of the projects are funded under Transport for NSW’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, except the Tatham bridges, which are being funded through the Australian Government’s Emergency Response Fund Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program 2022-2023.

John O’Donnell identifies numerous instances of what he sees as poor and inadequate governance at local, state and federal level, many of them being cross sector issues, highlighting the importance of working more effectivly together to address them. John goes on to identify possible ways to influence better outcomes.  

The Sunshine Coast will soon be home to an Australia-first blue carbon project creating a thriving mangrove ecosystem, a healthier Maroochy River for everyone to enjoy and the potential for future income streams for landholders. The Australian Government’s Clean Energy Regulator has formally registered the nation’s first Blue Carbon project in the Sunshine Coast’s Blue Heart, on the lower Maroochy River floodplain, following a rigorous research and application process.

Madison Eastmond, Hugh Schuitemaker ... The Federal Government yesterday announced $25m worth of funding to support flood recovery efforts. However, Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone said the repair of damaged local infrastructure needed to be a higher priority ... "Some are unsafe, and councils are left swinging in the breeze wondering if funding will eventuate to repair the flood impacted road network."

Reopening its doors this week with colourful, fresh new surroundings, Mossman families are celebrating the reopening of St Augustine’s Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) after a six-month flood recovery program.  With extensive damage caused by flood inundation following Tropical Cyclone Jasper,  Catholic Early Learning and Care—Diocese of Cairns Director Alison Forster said it is great to be back delivering outside-hours care for Mossman families and carers...

The NSW Reconstruction Authority announced that 370 homes have been identified as eligible for house raising or retrofit. These 370 homes are across seven council areas. IndyNR.com has asked the Authority if any of these 370 homes are in Coraki, Broadwater, Woodburn or nearby. We are waiting on an answer.

Campaspe Shire Council is inviting community members from Rochester and surrounding areas to attend a series of information sessions as a comprehensive review of the Rochester Flood Study is launched. Following the significant flooding events in 2011, 2022, and most recently in 2024, this updated study aims to reassess and enhance flood mitigation strategies to better protect the community.

Naomi Shine. Beautiful old homes, made from incredibly sturdy Big Scrub timbers, are being boarded up across the flood zone in Lismore and left to moulder. People needing shelter are moving in, and NSW Reconstruction Authority doesn’t know how to deal with the situation.

The Northern Regional Planning Panel have refused a proposal for a controversial $53 million 284 lot subdivision at Miles Street, Yamba, in a split decision 3 votes to one ... The NRPP gave ... reasons for refusing the application relating to filling of the site, the flood risk and evacuation, community concerns about flooding, and the management of Acid Sulphate Soils ...

Just three weeks after public hearings about Lower Clarence developments before the Portfolio No 7 committee of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the Planning system and the impacts of Climate Change on the Environment and Communities were scrapped, they have been resurrected, delighting community groups ... But last Friday afternoon, Yamba CAN Inc. was informed by the committee that a hearing concerning Lower Clarence developments will be held next week.

A proposed planning permit application for a 16-block subdivision on land in Maldon that is bordered by Lowther, Polsue and Reef Streets is once again in the spotlight ... The [Tarrangower] Times met with two of the objectors last week, who said that their primary objection to the application is the fact that the block is subject to periodic flooding.

Members of NSW Parliament’s Portfolio Committee No. 7, who are undertaking a parliamentary inquiry into the planning system and the impacts of climate change on the environment and communities, saw and heard about issues concerning proposed and approved developments sites in the Lower Clarence first-hand when they visited Yamba and Maclean last Friday.

Last week, Toowoomba Regional Council hosted a major joint Local Government and Police disaster management exercise testing the capability of various Local Disaster Management Groups (LDMGs) from across southern Queensland ... The exercise used a major flood event scenario to practice the various Local Disaster Management Group’s capabilities to respond to a request to provide evacuation centre support for a mass evacuation scenario.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite insurance costs have risen, resulting in home and contents insurance being cost prohibitive for some Clarence Valley homeowners with prices ranging from $35.51 to $252.36 per week, while in some parts of the valley some companies refuse to insure homes ... To determine home and contents insurance costs across the region and if we are insurable, the Clarence Valley Independent sought quotes for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, single storey home...