“It was like a warzone, disbelief and difficult to fathom what I was looking at.”
This is how Melton State Emergency Service (SES) volunteer Yvonne Newton described her experience of travelling to assist in the flood recovery efforts in northern New South Wales.
In late February, torrential rainfall wreaked havoc across Queensland and New South Wales, causing hundreds of residents to flee their homes and businesses, as the deluge indiscriminately tore through major cities and small towns.
According to Defence Force major-general David Thomae, as of March 12, 22 people had died as a direct result of the extreme weather event, with that number expected to rise as recovery efforts continue.
Ms Newton was one of many trained emergency service personnel deployed to the region to provide assistance to local SES crews that had been working around the clock.
Ms Newton said her five-day deployment involved providing mental health support in Lismore and Casino.
“I was tasked with going house to house to check on resident’s welfare and assist and connect them with information regarding recovery,” she said.
“We also made sure pets had food and supplies. We were collecting information to advise local crews and agencies of what additional services and support were needed.
She said she was grateful for the opportunity, and hoped that those affected by the crisis would continue to receive support in the months and years to come.
“Don’t forget about the residents. For many people, their lives are on their front lawns while they have to start again in a shell of a house,” she said.
Oliver Lees
