A Second Winter Without Walls - Samaritan's Purse Boosts Recovery in Lismore

Sydney, NSW, 23 June 2023 ­– In April 2022, when over 14 meters of floodwater receded, Lismore and the Northern Rivers region emerged as the national focus point. A surge of dedicated volunteers poured in from near and far, joining together to assist residents in the daunting task of clearing out mud, salvaging furniture, repairing floors, walls, and ceilings, all in a collective effort to safeguard homes from the encroaching menace of mould.

Sixteen months on, a Southern Cross University study revealed almost half of residents surveyed remain displaced from their homes, confined to their shed, tents, caravan or with friends or family. 

Beneath the headlines are the many stories of untold personal tragedy, loss and trauma as people struggle to come to terms with a new reality. Flood survivors continue to face a compounding crisis of unmet physical and emotional needs. Survivors face a second winter of uncovered walls, limited access to basic hygiene amenities­, a far cry from the famously known “Lucky Country”.

As the focus of the nation has since shifted away from Lismore and the Northern Rivers, the recovery has slowed to a crawl, leaving the burden of the region on the shoulders of volunteers and local community hubs, many of which are impacted residents themselves.

On June 1, Samaritan's Purse volunteers have returned to the region in partnership with, community-run charity organisation, Resilient Lismore. The team from Samaritan’s Purse are made up from mostly retired tradespeople and other volunteers who are tackling a wide scope of jobs, from cleaning mud off walls, to installing flat-pack kitchens, yard work, plumbing and electrical work, as well as painting and other finishing touches for people who have already completed their own repairs.

Robyn Kelly, Operations Co-ordinator at Resilient Lismore, spoke to our team on the ongoing struggle of thousands of residents in the Northern Rivers regions of Lismore, Wardell, Broadwater, Coraki, Kilgin and more, many living in bare-framed homes and outdoor camp-style kitchen and bathroom arrangements.

“Our objective is to repair to return, and that includes homes that are warm, secure, safe and have basic sanitation, a lot of these homes have still got no toilets, bathrooms, people are still using buckets, so that’s a major objective to get these jobs done.”

Robyn – Resilient Lismore

80-year-old homeowner, Faye tragically lost her daughter weeks after the flood, leaving behind her primary aged foster son. Faye was left to put their lives back together and 6 months on, her home was still in disrepair. Over 3 days, Samaritans Purse’s team of volunteers attended her overgrown yard, repaired and dog-proofed her fencing, and restored the non-working plumbing in the laundry and removed damaged asbestos walls.

“They’ve just done an amazing job, more than anyone could have hoped for. They were just fantastic people.” “Thank you so much, it wasn’t just like the physical blessing, all the work that was done, it was a real blessing from God.” 

-Faye, homeowner

So far, Samaritan’s Purse have completed restorative work in 30 homes and will continue to work until July 10 to meet the needs of residents in Lismore and the affected Northern Rivers region including Wardell, Broadwater, Kilgin and Coraki. Dan Stephens, Australian Disaster Relief Manager said,

“What we hear a lot of is, ‘Oh, this would've taken me a month to do myself, and you guys were able to knock it out in a day’, and that's what we want to do. It's that power in numbers and it's the power of community.” 

“And what I'm hearing from my guys is that this is one of the first times in doing the disaster relief work that they've been able to take their skills that they've developed throughout their life, their professional skills, and apply them to the context of like helping people. They're putting stuff back in as opposed to ripping it out.”

To follow coverage of the flood relief response and information about how to help, visit website.

To volunteer or donate go to – samaritanspurse.org.au

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:

Dan Stephens – Australian Disaster Relief Manager, Samaritans Purse Australia & New Zealand

Gary Adams – Program Manager for Lismore Response – Samaritans Purse Australia & New Zealand

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Daniel Goh
Email: danielg@samaritanspurse.org.au
Mobile: 0406671249
Office Ph: 1300 884 468

Samaritan’s Purse Australia and New Zealand responds to physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations – especially in locations where few others are working. Samaritan’s Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution. For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.au