The Resilient Homes Program appears to be on pause while the NSW Government 're-sets' the program. At the same time, the NRRC has not updated its fortnightly website numbers (due last Thursday, July 20) and politely declined to be interviewed last week for a Lismore App regular update.

What cannot be paused is the community's anguish and uncertainty surrounding their current and future living arrangements. As Alan Magnay told the Lismore App, "The longer we leave our house, the more it's going to cost to fix it."

Alan and his wife Ann have a low-set house in Casino Street, South Lismore. The week before the February 28, 2022, flood, the Magnay's had the house valued, it came back between $680,000 and $730,000. This was at the peak of the market.

The valuation now? More likely in the $300,000 range. Alan and Ann have a double house on a 1200m block.

The NRRC did get in touch before June 30 by letter saying they are eligible for a house raising or a retrofit but cannot confirm which stream they will receive at this point.

This means that, basically, the Magnay's are in pause mode until that decision is made. They converted part of their business in North Lismore into liveable accommodation while living with family for more than six months.

To understand their situation fully, we need to look at what each Resilient House stream will do for them.

HOUSE RAISING

Under the House Raising criteria, the NRRC will pay $100,000 towards raising a house and then match dollar for dollar if the cost is higher.

Alan and Ann would be up for at least $50,000 to raise their house.

"The last time I got a price (to raise the house) it was $150,000, and that was ten years ago. You can imagine what it would be now, probably in the vicinity of $200,000 at least," Alan said.

"It's a big house. It's got four sets of stairs because it's two units."

$50,000 to raise your house might not appear to be a big sum if you end up safely out of most floods whilst living in the floodplain. That depends on the state of your house post-flood.

"I think the Johns Lyng Group estimate was in the vicinity of $450,000 to $500,00 to repair it," Alan explained.

When you walk around, and through the house, you can see the damage is significant. Bowed walls, a blown roof cavity, lowered foundations causing the floor to sink, holes in the floor with others soft and unsafe and gaps between floor and walls and roof everywhere.

(Difficult to see but the back of the house has sunk so the wall slopes to the back from the stairs where Alan is standing)

(The items were not placed in the cracks but have been in that position since they were washed there when flood waters blew out the roof)

(A sign of how much the house has sunk as the flooring was level with the fireplace concrete prior to the flood)

This is a house that needs significant work to make it safe and liveable.

If Alan and Ann were offered a House Raising, it still needs to be fixed before it is raised, so the Magnay's estimate of $50,000 personally to raise would need hundreds of thousands more to prepare it to be raised. When you are over 60, who is going to lend you money to do that, especially in a floodplain?

As he stood in the backyard of his house, Alan said, "I'm just wondering which money tree I pick that from. All our money trees died in the flood."

HOUSE RETROFIT

There is no need to explain this option as the $50,000 offered for this stream is far under what is needed, as mentioned above.

The Magnay's Casino house floods regularly because it's low-set. Forget February 28, 2022, as that was in the ceiling, 2017 went to the top of the skirting boards. Of course, that is a lot easier to clean up and move back in.

Alan and Ann will appeal the NRRC decision and ask for a House Buyback. With the current $700 million funding allocation, this looks unlikely to succeed. A full Tranche 2 announcement for another $700 million, as was first put forward to parliament by the NRRC, would be needed for any chance of success.

Each month costs the Magnay's more in rebuilding costs if indeed that is what they end up doing, as the wood continues to rot and the house continues to sink.

Moving further south, we meet the Sheridan family who are living through a cold winter as they wait for word from the NRRC.

Adam Sheridan's family has been in Newbridge Street for 67 years, so floods are nothing new. Newbridge Street is behind Perkins Caravan before you go over the bridge in South Lismore. Hollingworth Creek is nearby.

The Sheridan's house is two stories, so in the days leading into February 28, 2022, Adam moved household items from the lower floor to the top floor where it had never been flooded before.

The cleanup took the best part of a month when they could gain access to the house, "we were just chipping away" was Adam's description.

Eleven months later, on February 1, 2023, the family finally moved back into the top floor of the house, downstairs remained untouched.

"It took that long to get it to a state where enough of the house was liveable," Adam explained, "We've put a couple of walls up before winter just to keep the warmth in a bit."

With cold winter mornings of 3, 4 or 5 degrees, Adam and the Sheridan family are feeling every degree with no insulation.

From a Resilient Homes perspective, Adam registered very early on for one of the three available streams, house buyback, house raising or retrofit.

At this point in time, the Sheridans do not know where they stand in the program, even though everyone was told they would know by June 30.

Adam has approached the NRRC to get an answer.

"Plenty of times since it was announced. Basically, they have told me to sit tight, and you will hear from someone."

"I had a brief look at the streams (flood map) and we're in Level 1 and 2, the red, well and truly."

Adam doesn't know all his neighbours in Newbridge Street, although he did say a lot of close neighbours have not returned while his immediate neighbour never left his house and is now happy with the conditions he is living in.

"He didn't register for any help. He cleaned up and just got on with it."

The government has the remote control as it goes through its re-set process and Tranche 2 is announced while the lives of flood-affected people go on, that is something that cannot be paused.