“My previous partner (PP) and I were in the house when the flood hit. I always knew it was going to come under the house. I bought that house confidently knowing that flood water would come under the house and that’s fine. We moved the washing machine upstairs, I went down to the Garden Centre and helped pack up roses in the rain for about 4 hours. I came home, had some dinner and a few beers and went to bed.
I got woken up at 2am by PP saying that it’s blown off the doors downstairs. It was knee high at that stage. My house backs onto Leycester Creek just off the corner of the Italo Club, beautiful view. Anyway shit started getting real with banging and the house moving. PP had a Labrador called Bam and I had my Staffy Gaia. We climbed up into the top of one of the built-Ins. One of us had to stay with the dogs so they didn’t jump out. We moved stuff up higher, then higher, then higher again and it didn’t really matter in the end. We finally got hold of the SES and the Police after waiting on the phone for ages. No-one was coming. Just no one’s coming so try getting on your roof if you can.
I started looking for exit routes and panicking, PP was crying and we were terrified of losing the dogs. I knew I had to get us out of here. The flood water upstairs was now waist deep, furniture floating in the way in total darkness. At this point it’s 5am. I’m ripping art off the walls, putting photo albums up high. We were lucky that we had built-ins in 3 of the rooms to store stuff. In hindsight we should have tried to get a lot more stuff up there. I started looking for exit routes. I stood on a skateboard outside my house. The ones I have mounted for my Bonsai plants. I knew I couldn’t lift a dog on that. Bam weighs 35 kilos and my dog weighs about 25 kilos. I got into the roof in the crawl space over one of the rooms, tried kicking out panels but I was barefoot so I cut my feet up pretty bad. They built these old houses so strong. I tried kicking out the whirly birds, no luck. There was one option I could think of. There’s 2 sliding panels and a centre panel with an awning that goes over my back steps so I threw a table through the centre panel but the current was so strong the table washed back into me at nipple high water. Everything’s f#@king slamming into me. I threw it again and tried to kick out some glass and at this point I’d found some shoes. I waded back into the front room to pick up our bags. I climbed out onto the roof and put our bags there. I climbed back down, I grabbed Bam and PP grabbed my dog, pushed the fridge out of the way and my $2,000 lounge suite. When I bought my house I though f#*k it! I’m buying the best of the best. I’ve lived in share houses, I’ve lived in shit holes so I bought my first new fridge, first new washing machine, first new couch and now it’s all gone with no contents insurance.
So…I’m half hanging out this window I’ve just smashed, onto the awning, lifting 35 kilos of dog and if he slips, he’s dead. My dog, PP and myself get up there, we cry, we’re exhausted, I almost went back for the beers. That side of the house where the two walls broke is the extension so it’s not the hardwood side. The house is beautiful old hardwood floor to ceiling. I lost all my artwork friends had done for me.
Anyway we’re on the roof and the last video I sent was…We’re on here with the dogs, shit’s getting real. The current was going so fast, we pretty much said our goodbyes. We thought the house would just wash off its piers. I saw the shipping containers go and take out the Garden Centre. Cam and Emma are the owners and they were in the building at the time. That freaked me out because you don’t know what’s coming downstream, shipping containers, cars, could be anything. I seriously thought if we didn’t get washed away we would die from hypothermia. It was pissing down rain and freezing. I was trying to call my friends screaming Boat! Boat! Help!!!!
We were on the top of that roof for 5 hours. I saw a man hit the power lines and when I looked back he wasn’t there anymore so I assumed he drowned. I’ve seen people die, listened to the screams. My neighbour Gary’s wife died. I called the ambulance and tried giving her CPR but she passed away. They were both in their late 60’s and I reunited the family through social media. Their son came up as Gary went missing for 5 days and we thought he was dead. He got on a boat with us but I was there when his wife died. The Captain of the boat asked if Gary was alright and I’ve never heard a more confident NO!
Getting off the track again but I thought Mum had died too once. Don’t know if you’ve seen an epileptic seizure, especially if it’s just you and your Mum in the house and you’re just a child. You pretty much just cry in the corner and close the door while your Mum destroys everything, going in and out of consciousness. You don’t know if she’s going to be alive when you see her but you get on the phone with your Aunty Michelle in Melbourne and pray that Mum will be ok. It’s a violent thing. Sometimes I’d have to lie her on her side and I was only about 7. If I see her have a seizure now, I just turn into a puddle. It’s very traumatic.
Anyway I was standing on the very top of the roof. Thankfully I had had $3,000 worth of solar panels a year prior. I’m a firm believer in the sun and renewable energy and rainwater. My last electricity bill was $2.80. Those solar panels saved our lives. Emma at the garden centre has footage of us dragging our dogs across the solar panels to get to the other side of the roof. The current was so strong the SES boat couldn’t get around to the back side to pick us up. We got in the boat with the dogs and I had to give directions because we crashed into the railway bridge on Union St which f*#ked the engine. We had to get towed out by some other blokes. We could just hear screaming coming from houses…Help! Help! You don’t forget that. You don’t forget the sound of shipping containers taking out buildings. We hit another fence and almost capsized and it’s still pouring. We finally made it to Ballina Rd. One of my workmates picked us up and we stayed with him for a week. You don’t forget near death experiences.
I thought for 2 days that my Mum had died because she dropped her phone while I was talking to her. She was scared with the rising water and saying the TV just fell over, this fell, that fell and then dropped the phone. I went to all the evacuation centres looking for her and I couldn’t find her. I was yelling her name out crying and no-one had power. I finally found her at GSAC and I lost it. I really thought I’d lost her because she can’t swim due to her shoulder reconstruction. She had been rescued from another neighbour’s roof in neck high water.
I got some pretty good advice from some of my elderly neighbours. I can start again. I’m 29 years old. I lost a lot of sentimental things. I still want to live here. There’s talk of moving North and South Lismore where the entire Industrial Estate is and Norco. The plumbing alone ? Mitigate the water but hurry up. It should have been done 30 years ago. Lismore was originally a logging town and that’s why all our homes are beautiful. I hate plasterboard and gyprock.
It’s devastating what’s happened. I walk past homes that have washed away, collapsed or 180 degrees off their foundations. Part of my childhood has died with losing everything. This town means a lot to me. I think Lismore and the surrounding area of the Northern Rivers are single handedly keeping the alcohol and tobacco industry alive at this point (laughs). Lismore’s exhausted, You can see it in everyone’s eyes. We’ve been doing this for over 4 months now dealing with banks, logistics, insurance companies, contractors, plumbers, civil engineers, everything and homelessness for many.
When Covid hit I got laid off my work at my job due to lack of work. That’s when I turned into a raging alcoholic and had to go to Riverlands Detox. You can include that if you want. I got clean and sober for 3 months which was over Xmas, New Year and my birthday so I know I can do it again. I have a lot of support with family and friends. Unfortunately I’m back on the beers. I’ve always been a drinker after work but I always get up super early which is when I get the most done.
Lismore has such a special place in my heart. I had to go to my mate Stuart’s funeral. He got sucked down a storm water drain and then my other mate John Lush had a heart attack at the Lantern Parade at the age of 42. John played in my shed for my birthday which was special. We cleaned John’s house after the flood before I cleaned mine. After John died my perspective on money has really changed. There’s no point if you’re not here so if you can share it or help other people, do it. I had to kick the door in John’s son room and the look of devastation on his face… We went to my house after cleaning up there and I couldn’t take it. I was just crying in the corner. Stuff got thrown out that shouldn’t have been. I was a wreck. We’d cleared Mum’s house, 2 houses on Phyllis St, John’s house before we touched mine and I was f#*ked….Then it happened a second time. I’ve booked in for a full health checkup after John. I smoke, drink and I’m still drowning every night especially when I hear the rain. You hear the rain a lot when you’re missing 2 walls.
Much love and thank you for listening to my story Denise. Hopefully we will save Lismore. I’ve always promised myself that I’ll never sell this house because I love it too much and I love this town. It’s a beautiful old hardwood home with a big shed out the back overlooking the river. It’s beautiful. I decorated it out the front to make people smile and to make myself smile when I get home. I never want to see Lismore die.”