‘We urgently needed government assistance on the ground’: flood inquiry interim report released

An overwhelming majority of public submissions came from Rochester residents, accounting for 344 of 608 northern Victorian submissions.

The report found that while financial assistance payments were intended to provide relief, the process of receiving them caused stress and added extra burdens to those affected by floods.

The Victorian and federal governments put several financial assistance programs in place after the floods, including the Disaster Recovery Allowance to replace income lost due to flooding; primary producer recovery grants to cover the cost of recovery for farmers up to $75,000; one-off disaster recovery payments of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child; and emergency payments to cover accommodation, clean-up and other costs for families with school-aged children.

Submissions to the committee showed many people needed support to apply for payments.

“In the midst of cleaning up after a disaster and feeling utterly overwhelmed, our community was faced with a ridiculous amount of time and paperwork required to apply for recovery grants,” Rochester Business Network and Lake Eppalock Working Group representative Tracie Kyne said.

“These bureaucratic hurdles seemed insurmountable at a time when immediate action was needed and people were grappling with loss and devastation.

“We urgently needed government assistance on the ground to help complete these applications, to alleviate the strain and to provide tangible support when it was most crucial.

“The disconnect between immediate needs and the cumbersome process only exacerbated the crisis, underscoring the necessity for more efficient and empathetic assistance during such trying times. Many people just threw their hands in the air and did not apply at all.”

The report found that some small businesses needed help with the bureaucracy of applying for grants, and that some of the assistance available did not align with the needs of the community.

Mrs Kyne, who has been the president of Rochester Business Network since July 2023, told the committee how difficult financial payments were for businesses in the area to receive.

“The issue we have had from a business point of view is that some small businesses that are not GST-registered were not eligible for a lot of grants,” she said.

“For businesses that were eligible that were registered for GST, the paperwork they had to go through to actually get that funding — huge red tape to jump through.

“For our agribusiness farmers, they have had to spend the $70,000 to then apply to get it back, and in some instances they were not eligible for the $70,000 they had just spent.

“We have had instances where farmers cannot even afford to spend the $70,000 to get the money back. They are the issues we have been grappling with.

“Apart from the mental health, the stress and the anguish of them going through the process of cleaning up and maybe not having the product to sell, just going through that red tape to apply for grants has just not been possible.”

Another critical finding in the report was the issue of housing for Rochester residents, where floods impacted up to 90 per cent of properties.

This was made worse by existing housing issues in the area, like availability and affordability.

The committee found that emergency housing options, including caravans, makeshift sheds and relocation, as well as the Elmore Events Centre turned temporary accommodation village, have become long-term solutions.

“Rochester had over 800 homes damaged or uninhabitable, with more than 70 per cent of residents still not back in their home some seven months after the event,” a Northern Victorian Emergency Management Cluster representative said.

“Residents have either been placed in caravans on their impacted properties, with 250 households in this category, living in makeshift accommodation in sheds or currently living outside of the municipality.”

The report found that many Rochester residents remained in temporary accommodation at the time of submission due to factors like insurance problems and widespread damage to the land.

These living arrangements have been uncomfortable for residents, serving as constant reminders of the floods.

“Six months down the track and we’re tired,” Rochester resident Eliza Watson said.

“Most of us are living in caravans, a temporary fix while we wait for our houses to be gutted and repaired, while some have been forced to move out of town.

“It’s estimated that 90 per cent of homes in Rochester were impacted, which for us included our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and siblings.

“It’s a confronting feeling to have so many lifelines taken away from you, and without the incredible generosity of people outside our immediate family, we would have found ourselves with four anxious children and nowhere to go.”

Short-term options have become unsuitable for months-long living and residents need more alternatives, the report found.

“My parents’ house was flooded in Rochester by the Campaspe River in the October 2022 flood disaster. They are still not in their home in May 2023,” Rochester resident Larissa Anderson said.

“They are in their late 60s and 70s and have been living in a small room off the shed with mice, no air-conditioning and unsafe heating.”

One of the findings in the report was that some residents are still displaced or have only recently moved into their homes, 18 months after the floods.

The committee found that struggles with insurers have kept residents out of their homes and in temporary housing for so long.

Residents want insurers to be held accountable during natural disasters and feel that the government has failed them.

“Maybe you could come up to Rochy and spend some time in a caravan or shed? Six months on, they are still out of (their) homes and people are getting cold, angry, upset and feeling abandoned by not only the insurance companies but by you, the government,” Rochester resident Nicki Henderson wrote in her submission.

“Please ask yourself if this happened in Melbourne, would you still be out of your home? I think not.”

The report found that applying for assistance, making claims and speaking to insurers were reminders for residents of the trauma caused by the floods.

Submissions included in the report called for empathy towards the community and for insurance companies to be organised and supportive.

“Residents of Rochester are forced to face the reality of that night again and again as they deal with issue after issue. It is heartbreaking,” Rochester resident Deanne McNair said.

“Trying to rebuild their properties and their lives, the emotional pain coupled with the financial pain, and the stresses associated with dealing with insurance companies, all the while living in temporary accommodation is something people are unable to comprehend unless they were directly impacted.”

The report found that the community wants preventative measures put in place so flooding events can be better managed.

They also found that not enough assistance was provided in the lead-up, experience and aftermath of the floods. More support for the emotional and mental toll of the floods in particular was needed.

“Prior to, during and post-floods, I and my community have received very limited support from the Campaspe Shire, nor emergency agencies involved in the flood event,” an anonymous Echuca resident submitted.

“This has been a poor example of a Victorian Government response during an emergency situation.

“I have and continue to feel frustrated with the lack of action and any learnings being applied to improve any future responses.”

The report found that local, state and federal governments must implement preventative measures.

Some residents have said they would leave the town if everything stayed the same.

“We are a strong community but people are tired, some of whom have gone through two major floods in the last 11 years, and cannot survive another major flood,” Rochester resident Zaw Htut said.

“Like many of the residents, we are contemplating about leaving the area if no plans are put in place to mitigate such weather events in the future.”

The committee will continue to hear from the community, with the final report from the inquiry to be released by June 30.