A year on: Murchison resident Jodie Normington opens up about her experiences after last year’s floods.
Photo by
Kelly Carmody
As the region draws closer to the anniversary of last year’s floods, many people will remember their experiences differently.
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For Murchison resident Jodie Normington, they are memories she would rather forget.
Miss Normington’s house was one of about eight on the river side of Willoughby St in Murchison inundated with water last year.
She said the water rose quickly on the Friday night, and by Saturday morning, her property had waist-high water surrounding it.
“In the lead-up, we were keeping a close eye on it all from the window in our laundry,” Miss Normington said.
“My son came and told me that he could hear our dog crying, and we went out the back to check on him, and the water was sitting just under his neck — and he is a big dog.
“It all happened so quickly. One minute, we were okay. Forty-five minutes later, it was so high.
“My partner and son had moved as much furniture and our belongings up as high as we could, but not everything could be saved.”
Miss Normington’s partner and son stayed in the home with their beloved pets for the remainder of the night while she went and stayed with her mother, who also lives in the town.
“I was so stressed, unaware of how much worse it would get, what we would lose, and it was dark,” she said.
“Everyone handles situations differently, I suppose, and this one affected me.
“Even though I wasn’t really sleeping at my mum’s, it was nicer to be there than at home watching it all unfold.”
In the days that followed the river peak in Murchison, the water was slow to recede.
Flooding: The water from last year’s Murchison flood remained around Miss Normington’s home for a week.
Miss Normington said it was around a week before they could go into their property and thoroughly assess the damage.
“Not only were we anxious about the situation, there were also people looting around the homes that had water damage,” she said.
“It was horrible and all a bit of a blur, but I remember how amazing the community was and how everyone came together.
“We were lucky with how much support we had and only lost minimal items, but the house was unlivable.
“The Murchison committee reached out to us and gave us a place to stay while the property was renovated, and we lived at the River Rd Caravan Park for seven months.
Renovations: A new floor was needed in the Murchison home.
“They were great, and so were our landlords.”
On dry land: Once the flooring was complete, Miss Normington and her family could return home.
Although Miss Normington was ready to get home and move forward throughout those seven months, her anxiety and fear remained.
She experienced panic attacks and said she shut off from the world to learn how to cope again.
“I was scared we would go back, it would happen again, and we would have to relive it all again,” Miss Normington said.
“I didn’t want to do that, and I just shut down and almost shut everyone out.”
After just a few months of Miss Normington and her family being back in the property, the landlord sold the house. Fortunately, they found another property in Murchison to rent, where they have now been living for three months.
Miss Normington said it had been a long process of recovery, but she was back socialising and feeling much better.
“It’s kind of an uneasy feeling having the river level up high again, and it’s still right there, but at least I am not as close any more,” she said.
“I try to stop myself from thinking about it too often.
“You just have to take each day as it comes, and I am sure many people are still doing the same.”
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