Not again! I’m feeling a knot in my stomach … and a sense of déjà-vu.

In 2022 there was significant and devastating flooding in low-lying areas only twenty to twenty-five kilometres from my home. Those areas, at the conjunction of two river systems, were slammed by five floods between February and July 2022. They were the worst floods for several decades.

The drinking-water supply dams were full and overflowing, as were the rivers. After the first major flood, the others were inevitable, with prolonged heavy rain. There was nowhere for the water to go. People were still feeling the impact, still recovering and rebuilding, a year later. Some never recovered. Many could not afford to rebuild.

Of course, I had put the sprinklers on my gardens earlier this week in an endeavour to save the plants struggling with a long, very hot summer. We’d had no rain for weeks – until yesterday. In the last twenty-four hours we have had a month’s worth of rain.

Heavy rain has now fallen ceaselessly for twenty-four hours, and rain and gale-force winds are predicted to increase dramatically overnight. That brings the possibility of trees coming down, power outages, landslides …. It appears that two major weather events, one called a “black Nor’easter” with dense black clouds, are converging, causing this havoc.

What a turn-around!

We are now on stand-by again, as part of the Disaster Recovery Team which opens and mans Evacuation Centres, and then after the drama is over, we switch to Recovery Centres, to assist those who get caught time and again in these recent flood situations.

Why do people live there? Firstly, the area is beautiful country, with villages and small towns dotted throughout. There is a strong sense of community and connection. They know each other well; they help each other.

When they first bought land and built homes, the local council declared that it was not a flood plain, wanting expansion in their area. There had been no floods for decades. However, town planners changed the natural paths of water courses by levelling land for development. This short-sightedness later created problems. A few years after the establishment of homes and businesses, the council rezoned it as a flood plain. Little did these people know that many years later they would be the victims of the worst floods in sixty years, labelled "once in a hundred year" floods.

The people cannot now get insurance, as insurance companies either make the premiums so high that no one is able to afford them (an annual payment of around $30,000 or more) or the companies simply refuse to insure them against flooding. They cannot afford to move. No one will now buy their homes anyway. Local businesses are endangered as well, and unemployment is a follow-on.

The nearest city is one of the most expensive in the world to buy property in, and to live in. Impossible for most of these people.

Local flash flooding is already happening this afternoon, and now several larger areas are on notice to prepare to evacuate.

They plan to do a controlled release from the massive dam on Monday, releasing water into already-swollen river systems. Hopefully the worst of the rain might be over by Monday.

Last time we manned the Recovery Centre for nearly four months, six days a week. It was exhausting and emotionally draining for the volunteers, but we considered that as nothing compared to the suffering of so many. Little children were traumatised even by the sound of gentle rain for months. Being displaced is no fun. Seeing one’s home a metre under water is dreadful. Loss of irreplaceable items of sentimental value is demoralising and disheartening.

Our role is to organise and donate basic necessities: food hampers, blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, and towels, cleaning products, basic clothing and personal hygiene products, even pet food. Sometimes the evacuation centres house pets overnight; once, even a pet snake in a cage. Alternative temporary accommodation is organised as quickly as possible – but not many places are happy to accept pets, particularly if it’s a snake.

We liaise with businesses for donations, and they are very generous. There are also private donations. What struck me last time was the way people affected by disaster accepted only the minimum, always preferring to not take too much in case others needed help more than they did. It was very moving.

I am expecting to be called up either tomorrow or very early next week. We, of course, must take with us what we need for a few days in case roads are cut before we can return home again. Not only clothing, but medications, phone chargers and all basic necessities. My husband and I tend to ensure we are not rostered on together, so that someone is always on hand to look after and feed Sunny, and we have child-minding and other commitments to consider and juggle.

I’ll keep you posted. If I am around less, you will understand. I just hope and pray it will not be as bad as last time.

I had just finished the above, but I must now go and get my backpack ready. My team has been activated.