Nadine Wright had just got her life together when ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred hit.
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The 55-year-old from Labrador on the Gold Coast had moved into a unit she purchased in September 2024 after battling a few personal problems.
But on March 7 she found herself literally cowering in her bathroom.
The advice she had been given regarding Alfred was to pick a room away from external walls. The bathroom was perfectly located in the middle of the apartment with a vanity and toilet that would be difficult to penetrate.
"I stuck to my plan," she told ACM. "You just go into survival mode."
The roof collapsed, and police rescued her. She lost track of time literally fleeing with the clothes on her back.
Ms Wright recently left the hospital and is evaluating the damage.
She admits to being under-insured. A fundraiser has been set up to help her.
"I am a single lady; thank goodness I have a job," she said.
Around south-east Queensland and northern NSW these stories of survival are not uncommon.
Renata Brunton told ACM through tears that while she, her husband and two young sons survived they lost pretty much everything.
The kitchen is collapsing and the whole house is leaking after a tree fell on their house.
The Gold Coast family is living day by day in emergency accommodation.
Strong emotions
Some survivors cry. Others can't stop talking. Most are in a state of shock.
One woman told ACM she had hit the bottle. "I'm drunk," she said.
Many in the Northern Rivers speak about repeated trauma after the 2022 Lismore floods.
Five people died, more than 4000 homes were left uninhabitable and nearly every business in town was wiped out.
Even those with insurance struggled.
A parliamentary inquiry found families and businesses were waiting on insurance claims to be resolved for more than two years after it happened, and the government could not keep up with the need for housing.
Women Up North Housing chief executive Jillian Knight-Smith told ACM that a shipping container landed on their building during the 2022 floods.
"We never got that real estate back," she said. "We are all traumatised from those floods."
They packed up early this time. No easy feat considering they help around 150 women and children each week experiencing domestic and family violence.
"These women are now facing not only the trauma of domestic and family violence but also the compounded impact of losing their homes, possessions, and stability," she said.
Since the 2022 floods the community has rallied, setting up their own resilience communities.
The Bangalow Resilience Network swung into action offering hot showers and meals to Northern Rivers residents.
There were nearly 300,000 homes and businesses across south-east Queensland and northern NSW without power on March 8.
But there has been frustration too, due to the high level of bureaucracy.
"We spent a huge amount of time organising a resilience community, but we ran into huge problems with respect to insurance, administrative nonsense," president Ruth Winton-Brown told ACM.
They had hoped to work out of the Bangalow showground, but the gates were firmly locked: Byron Shire Council was concerned about insurance. Instead, the local men's shed and heritage house provided some refuge.
'It does suck'
It's not been an easy time for small business due to cost of living pressures.
The cyclone has wreaked havoc on an industry already doing it tough.
"Even closing for a few days has a huge financial impact," said Business NSW regional director Rod Barnaby.
He is also concerned insurance premiums will rise after Alfred.
Felicity Hyde, the owner of Scoop and Candy in Lismore told ACM she's trying to focus on the positive, such as using this time to do some repairs.
"But it does suck," she admitted. "If you asked me a few days ago whether I was coping I would say I wasn't."
Amongst all the turmoil there have been simple acts of kindness.
In a heart-warming display of support police called on an elderly Queensland man left without power and gas after Alfred.
The team at Alter Community Coffee has an off-grid coffee 4WD and is using it to bless some people doing it tough in the aftermath.
"It's all about paying it forward," said organiser Alex Neil.
A beautiful gesture amongst so much despair.
Do you have something to add or a story to tell? Leave a comment or email the journalist carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Carla Mascarenhas
Carla Mascarenhas is a journalist with Explore Travel and The Senior. She specialises in deep issues affecting Gen X and beyond, and the latest in travel news. Contact her on carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
