Seeking safe haven after the flood

WHEN Ajok Agout came to Lismore seeking refuge from violence in South Sudan, she hoped she’d found a safe place to call home.

Then the 2022 flood hit, inundating the East Lismore home she shared with her family and destroying everything they owned.

She’s moved at least six times since the disaster hit and now lives at the Kingscliff pod village.

Ms Agout said she did not feel safe at some places she’d stayed, but found refuge in Kingscliff with her five-year-old son Riel.

She is anxious about how long it will last and is worried about moving yet again.

“It’s so depressing. It’s so hard on my mental state not knowing what’s going to happen,” she said.

Ms Agout’s family has found accommodation in the Tweed Shire, so she is keen to stay nearby but has struggled to find somewhere affordable.

“Right now, I don’t have a place to go,” she said.

“When the time comes, I don’t want to be thrown out. That’s my fear.

“It’s unsettling for my son. It’s just too much. I’m hoping for somewhere safe to live for me and my son.”

Tweed Shire councillors granted the NSW Reconstruction Authority an extension on its lease in July, giving residents six more months to repair their homes, finalise buybacks, or find other accommodation.

The lease expires in December 2025, but the village must be vacated six months before to allow for decommissioning and make-good works.

Councillors were divided on whether to grant the extension after some nearby residents objected.

The debate centred on whether the council was responsible for providing housing for displaced people.

Mayor Chris Kerry said while it was not the council’s responsibility to solve the housing crisis, it should help the government where it could.

“There are people who just need help to get on with their lives. It just gives certainty until the end of July,” Cr Kerry said. “This problem has not gone away and housing has not been able to be achieved.”

A reconstruction authority spokesperson said: “There are council plans for public consultation to discuss future use of the site, which will inform any decommissioning plan required and the timeframe for residents to relocate from the temporary village.

“The NSW Reconstruction Authority will then negotiate with council on any lease extension terms.”

Ms Agout welcomes the extra time to find a home and continue her study.

She wants to use her experience to help other people dealing with trauma and is studying to be a life coach.

She has written a book on her experiences called From Broken to Believing, about emotional healing and connecting to yourself after trauma.

“This book is like a guide or a roadmap to rediscovering yourself again,” she said.

Ms Agout said having security in where you live is the key to recovery.