Category Archives: NSW and Queensland floods 2022

‘Disturbing’ findings of NSW evacuation centre violence and sexual assaults triggers safety protocols review

Posted on by

University of Newcastle research has found some women in emergency shelters during the devastating Lismore floods reported sexual assaults and violence

Safety protocols at mass evacuation centres will be investigated after researchers found women had been subjected to violence and sexual assaults in the immediate aftermath of the devastating northern rivers floods of 2022.

The review by the Department of Communities and Justice and the New South Wales police is slated to begin later this year and will consider the role of police officers and triaging, as recommended by University of Newcastle researchers.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia must urgently adapt to extreme weather or face soaring premiums, insurers warn

Posted on by

Exclusive: Assistant treasurer says insurers warned government ‘you’ve got five years’ to reduce vulnerability to climate crisis

Global insurers say Australia is running out of time to reduce its vulnerability to the climate crisis and faces higher premiums for households and businesses.

“They said, ‘you’ve got five years basically’,” said the federal assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, who led a delegation last month to insurance centres in London and Munich.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Mullumbimby flood victims feel left behind as Chris Minns flies into Lismore to spruik recovery fund

Posted on by

Residents claim the agency in charge of recovery has backtracked after verbally assuring people they would get help

Mullumbimby residents who are still stuck in limbo 18 months after their town was devastated by floods say a change to the state’s recovery program means few of them will qualify for support to retrofit or raise their homes.

As the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, prepares to fly into Lismore on Tuesday to talk up his Labor government’s $100m investment into flood recovery, a sense of “hopelessness” has set in for residents in the neighbouring Byron shire.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Land for 10,000 northern rivers homes flagged in NSW plan to ease housing crisis

Posted on by

Exclusive: Homes for 7,800 residents in areas worst hit by 2022 floods proposed in near term, with more development later

Land that could hold more than 10,000 homes across 22 sites in the northern rivers has been identified as part of a New South Wales government strategy to deal with the region’s housing crisis.

The draft northern rivers resilient lands strategy will be released on Friday, more than a year after floods devastated the region and saw thousands of people displaced. Many are still unable to return home.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Insurance firms must lower premiums as government funds disaster prevention, minister says

Posted on by

Murray Watt says Canberra is funding disaster mitigation infrastructure and ‘expects the insurance industry to fulfil its end of the bargain’

Insurance companies need to reduce premiums for customers in disaster-prone regions now the federal government is investing heavily in infrastructure to minimise loss during extreme weather, the emergency management minister, Murray Watt, says.

Ahead of confirming funding on Friday for 34 new mitigation projects to reduce the impact of coastal erosion accelerated by the climate crisis, Watt used an insurance industry conference to put the sector on notice.

Sign up for our free morning and afternoon email newsletters from Guardian Australia for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Lismore residents can take their homes with them under $800m buyback program

Posted on by

If residents choose not to move their home or if it is not possible, they will be sold or stripped for materials

In the nine months since floods gutted Harper Dalton’s South Lismore home, he has been waiting for two things: a land buyback and the ability to pick up the redwood home and move it to higher ground.

On Friday it emerged that northern rivers residents eligible for buybacks under a new joint federal and state $800m housing scheme will be allowed to do just that.

Sign up for our free morning newsletter and afternoon email to get your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Residents given a spray as Queensland government hoses down flood threat with free water offer

Posted on by

Authorities announce plans to reduce Wivenhoe dam level to mitigate flood risk, with residents encouraged to start hosing

Residents of south-east Queensland have been encouraged to break out their gurneys and let loose with the hose as the government reduces the level of Wivenhoe dam due to an increased risk of major floods.

The state’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said lowering the dam level from 90% to 80% capacity would increase its effectiveness for flood mitigation in coming months.

Continue reading...

Climate activist avoids jail over Sydney tunnel protest after court hears of flood trauma

Posted on by

Mali Cooper discharged into psychologist’s care after locking themself to steering wheel of a car to block traffic

A climate activist who disrupted peak-hour traffic in central Sydney has avoided conviction after a court was told of the trauma they suffered during the Lismore floods.

Mali Poppy Cooper, who uses they pronouns, locked themself onto the steering wheel of a car on the eastern approach to the Sydney Harbour tunnel in June.

Continue reading...

Fresh rain warnings as BoM says flooding in NSW ‘to continue for months’

Posted on by

With many catchments soaked and more rain on the way, authorities say waterways are ‘sensitive to any future rainfall’

New South Wales is bracing for another week of thunderstorms, gusty winds and renewed flooding, with authorities warning flooding in some areas is expected to continue for several months.

The wet weather was expected to return to south-western parts of the state from Monday afternoon, deepening throughout Tuesday and Wednesday as the trough moved across to the coast.

Continue reading...

‘Localise everything’: After floods, Northern Rivers residents join forces to build disaster resilience

Posted on by

In areas where some felt let down by emergency responses, community groups share skills such as how to clear landslips, operate chainsaws and preserve food

Northern Rivers residents are learning to use chainsaws, sandbag their homes and clear landslips safely as communities band together to ensure they are prepared for future natural disasters after this year’s devastating floods.

Their efforts have a new sense of urgency after the Bureau of Meteorology declared a La Niña event is under way – a weather pattern that typically elevates flood risks.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Emergency housing rollout across flood-hit NSW north coast a ‘dog’s breakfast’, critics say

Posted on by

Government defends measures against claims of slow progress, lack of consultation and a decision to put pods in a flood zone

Fewer than 60 emergency housing pods are being occupied in northern New South Wales nearly six months after the March floods. Critics have lambasted the rollout for poor communication, a lack of transparency and one location being built in a flood zone.

Temporary housing measures for flood victims were first announced at the start of March. The NSW government promised in April to provide 2,000 temporary homes including the pods, caravans, motorhomes and accommodation at recreation camps.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Flood inquiry finds serious failures by agencies and calls for Resilience NSW to be scrapped

Posted on by

NSW upper house inquiry identifies problems with the SES and says grant processes were ‘confusing’

A scathing report into the devastating 2022 New South Wales floods has found government agencies including the SES “failed” in the “greatest time of need” and has recommended the lead recovery agency, Resilience NSW, be abolished.

The upper house inquiry into the deadly flooding events made 21 findings and 37 recommendations, including a call for the state government to finalise long-term housing plans for flood-affected residents in places like Lismore.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

‘In two years no one will care’: expert in institutional amnesia explains where flood response falls down

Posted on by

Ongoing focus on disaster management needed to avoid kneejerk reactions from one event to the next

Australia’s response to flood emergencies will only improve when governments can maintain focus in the times between crises, a researcher specialising in the topic has warned.

Speaking before the release of reports into this year’s floods in Queensland and NSW, Dr Alastair Stark, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Queensland, said disaster inquiries often produced effective lessons only for their implementation by governments and agencies to stall.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Flood-hit Lismore ice-cream factory gets 11th-hour funding reprieve

Posted on by

Federal government announces $2.7m package day before Norco’s workforce was to be stood down

The federal government has stepped in to save jobs at a flood-ravaged ice-cream factory in Lismore a day before 170 workers were due to be stood down.

The Norco ice-cream factory was severely damaged by catastrophic floods in February, and the dairy co-operative’s farmer members are unable to cover workforce costs while it is out of action.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Lismore ice-cream factory ‘will need to stand down 240 people’ unless flood support extended

Posted on by

Norco says 44 workers who lost homes would be affected if government assistance ends

An ice-cream factory will stand down 240 workers in Lismore next month – including 44 who lost their homes in floods earlier this year – unless government support is extended.

Michael Hampson, the chief executive of Norco, the factory operator, said the decision came in the absence of further details of any federal assistance and confirmation the state government would not contribute to any further support package.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

‘Situation is urgent’: treat housing crisis like a natural disaster, Queensland government told

Posted on by

Advocates call for a leaders’ meeting to coordinate support for people displaced by floods, pandemic and soaring house prices

The Queensland government should respond to the deepening housing crisis as it would a natural disaster and invest billions in new housing stock, advocates say.

It should also convene leaders from the sector to form that response and guarantee the 2032 Brisbane Olympics do not fuel homelessness and housing stress.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Fights broke out as top-down approach to Lismore flood response failed, inquiry told

Posted on by

Locals who were trying to help rescue residents and feed evacuees clashed with NSW agencies, community witnesses say

Lismore residents have told of fights breaking out between members of the public trying to help and officials attempting to implement a failed “top-down” approach during the height of the flood emergency.

Several community witnesses at a parliamentary inquiry into catastrophic flooding in the town told MPs on Tuesday they were completely disillusioned with Resilience NSW, the new agency established in 2020 to lead disaster and emergency efforts from prevention to recovery.

Continue reading...

Lismore braces for more flooding amid storm warnings for south-west Western Australia

Posted on by

Northern NSW continues to be hammered by rain and Queensland’s south-east back on flood watch

Lismore residents are being warned they could be hit with more floods as rain continues in northern New South Wales.

The region has already endured repeated severe flooding in recent months and the Bureau of Meteorology said more could be on the way after rain over the weekend.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Camper found safe and well as flooding rain lashes Queensland

Posted on by

Police end search for man, who was seen chasing his dog before flood waters cut off access to his campsite

A camper reported missing after chasing his dog near flood waters has been found, as heavy downpours continue to lash south-east Queensland.

Police said the 36-year-old man was reported missing from an Imbil campsite, south of Gympie, on Thursday morning, but was found safe and well on Thursday.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Modular homes on way to accommodate New South Wales flood victims

Posted on by

More than a month after they were announced 2,000 temporary pod homes are being sent to flood-affected communities

Up to 2,000 modular homes will be sent to accommodate displaced flood victims in northern New South Wales, a month after the state government announced the measure.

The temporary modular “pods” will be rolled out on the Northern Rivers, with the first 25 recovery pods to be delivered to Ballina, followed by additional sites to be named across Tweed, Byron, Richmond Valley and Lismore in coming weeks.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...