As we come to the end of another year and approach the second anniversary of the February 28 2022 flood, the Lismore App was curious for an update on the Tranche 1 projects for the Northern Rivers Recovery & Resilience Program as there has been no physical sign of any progress made.

The $50 million Tranche 1 funding announcement was made in February 2023 by Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt and outlined a number of projects for the region as well as a significant number for Lismore. They were called 'The Rapid Prioritisation for Flood Resilience in the Northern Rivers', and involved projects that have been identified by local councils.

They included:

Regional community flood risk awareness - 16 proposals

• A regional program to increase community flood risk awareness partnering with all LGAs, including flood risk information campaigns and flood warning signs.
• Regional and local floor level surveys - 2 proposals
• A regional program to complete floor level surveys for building across all LGAs to input into flood risk assessments.
• Evacuation road infrastructure - 4 proposals
• A regional assessment of evacuation routes, their capacity and options for infrastructure upgrades across all LGAs.
• Community-led resilience - 1 proposal
• Community-led resilience initiatives such as the Community-led Resilience Teams (CRTs). This is to ensure that community-led resilience efforts are supported across all LGAs. CRTs provide a formal structure, direction and guidance which complement community resources, people and capacity. CRTs enable the collective community voice to be channelled externally benefitting emergency management organisations such as SES, RFS and Councils. Local communities know their history, risks, people, resources, capacities and geographical locations better than anyone outside their community.

LISMORE

• Flood risk management infrastructure - upgrades and maintenance of existing flood management infrastructure - 14 proposals
• Extra pump at Lower Hollingsworth pump station.
• Increase capacity in Browns Creek pump station.
• Power supply backups for all pump stations.
• Raise pump control rooms/towers in all pump stations.
• Refurbish Browns Creek flood gate.
• Refurbish Upper Hollingsworth Creek flood gate.
• New electric submersible pump station (x2) at levee near Snow Street and Thre Chain Road.
• Install an electric pump station to replace the tractor driven pump at the rowing club to remove CBD stormwater. Will improve evacuation from the CBD and providing better access to critical infrastructure and emergency services.
• Improved communications to critical infrastructure with capacity to install CCTV and advanced it solutions.
• Trash racks will reduce the risk of rubbish and debris being washed/sucked into pump intakes and causing damage to pumps.

When Tranche 2 funding was announced by Senator Watt in late July and he was asked about Tranche 1 progress, he said his understanding was there were one or two projects left to be finalised.

During November, the Lismore App once again asked about the progress of the projects. The NSW Reconstruction Authority is now the body in charge of the project's funding and execution.

A spokesperson for the NSW Reconstruction Authority said:

In February this year the Federal Government announced 16 projects totalling $50 million under Tranche 1 of the Northern Rivers Recovery & Resilience Program (NRRRP).

In July, 20 new projects totalling $100 million were announced under Tranche 2 of the NRRRP.

These projects will be delivered in partnership between the NSW Reconstruction Authority and delivery partners including Councils, and non-government organisations.

Many of these projects are in the early stages of project development and delivery.

Not being satisfied with a generic response that revealed no information, we asked Lismore City Council, named as a partner, for an update:

Lismore City Council is currently scoping the works for the seven projects funded under tranche 1 of the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative.

All of the seven projects are designed to build resilience and help protect Lismore during any future flood events.

Scoping for these crucial projects is due for completion in coming weeks.

Once the scoping of works is complete, the grant funding will be released to Council to undertake the seven projects.

We have entered another storm season which will be with us until March/April 2024. The question is "Will we have another flood during an El Niño year?"

In more recent times, the El Niño of 2018/19 recorded no flooding of any kind (minor, moderate or major), however, during the El Niño of 2015 Lismore experienced three floods, one minor and two moderate.

When the next flood hits our city, will we have better flood mitigation and resilience in place than we did before February 28 2022? Two years after the event that devastated our city.