Final evacuation centre closes as recovery begins for many

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The final evacuation centre has closed, following a week of wind, rain and floods in the states north. Four recovery centres have opened to help manage assistance to residents who are still struggling from the effects of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.

Transcript

00:00For Jim Bryant, life is only just getting back to normal at his home in Balambul Heights

00:09near the Queensland border.

00:10Four days, no power, no water, no internet, no telephone.

00:15Just around the corner, the power is still out and affected residents have been camping

00:19in their homes.

00:20We've got a little burner so we can heat up water, coffee, so I get a coffee in the morning.

00:28The powerful winds have left their mark on the landscape, creating plenty of work for

00:32those who specialise in felling trees.

00:34My phone's fried yesterday, I'm getting about 60, 70 calls in one single day over the last

00:40probably almost a week.

00:44Premier Chris Minns was back in the region today as the final evacuation centre closed

00:48and four new flood recovery centres opened.

00:52But for some, the state hardship grants being offered are too little, too late.

00:56We applied for the $180 but it's going to be five weeks.

01:00Five weeks doesn't fill our fridges now.

01:02The Premier also made it clear he would push ahead with plans to demolish these houses

01:07on Pine Street in Lismore.

01:10They formed part of the Buy Back program following 2022's catastrophic floods but have recently

01:15become home to squatters despite the flood risk.

01:19To spend a billion dollars of public money to make Lismore safe and to have people just

01:24move back in anyway, I think it's ridiculous.

01:27But Tina Middleton, who was living in a car with her son before moving into Pine Street,

01:32says she has nowhere else to go.

01:34I'm just going to stay as long as I can.

01:37We're hoping that we get support, we're hoping that the truth actually comes out and that

01:40people start seeing that we're just humans, we're just people.

01:43People with an uncertain future ahead.

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