Locals finding connection in flood-isolated communities

The Advertiser

23-05-2025

Margret Meagher knows what it's like to be alone in an flood-isolated community with a dead phone, no electricity and water the only sound from the outside world.
She lives on Port Macquarie's North Shore, a small coastal community which is again surrounded by water four years after devastating floods ravaged the town.
"Last time those six days were just really eerie, strange and difficult," Ms Meagher told AAP.
"You get very displaced, and you listen to just the silence of the water lapping underneath your house and coming up your stairs."
Port Macquarie has received a dumping of more than 390mm of rain since Tuesday, with the Hastings River reaching major flood levels on Wednesday.
The only road into the North Shore has flooded and ferry services have been cancelled.
Despite the North Shore's isolation, they're more connected than ever before.
The community Facebook page is pinging with notifications as people tell each other when and where an emergency boat service is dropping off supplies.
But the story of a resident who fended off a kangaroo that was trying to drown someone has received the most attention.
"Something like this (Facebook page) brings out the best in any community because people come together and they're looking at how they can support each other," Ms Meagher said.
"It's not just you talking to someone on the other side of the fence, it's also talking to hundreds of people who live in this small community.
"People feel they're isolated, so that's where the whole community spirit is so pivotal because if people don't feel isolated, they have greater strength to cope with the trauma of what's happening."
Ms Meagher says it took 18 months for the town to fully recover from the last major floods.
The local mayor said he was particularly concerned about the small town, which about 380 people call home.
"Of particular concern is the North Shore, but I sense people just want to get out and about and help each other rebuild and clean up," Port Macquarie Hastings mayor Adam Roberts told AAP.
"There's a sense of quiet optimism that we're hopefully at the back end."
Some 50,000 people have been isolated on NSW's mid-north coast and Hunter regions with rain moving south after days of downpours.
Margret Meagher knows what it's like to be alone in an flood-isolated community with a dead phone, no electricity and water the only sound from the outside world.
She lives on Port Macquarie's North Shore, a small coastal community which is again surrounded by water four years after devastating floods ravaged the town.
"Last time those six days were just really eerie, strange and difficult," Ms Meagher told AAP.
"You get very displaced, and you listen to just the silence of the water lapping underneath your house and coming up your stairs."
Port Macquarie has received a dumping of more than 390mm of rain since Tuesday, with the Hastings River reaching major flood levels on Wednesday.
The only road into the North Shore has flooded and ferry services have been cancelled.
Despite the North Shore's isolation, they're more connected than ever before.
The community Facebook page is pinging with notifications as people tell each other when and where an emergency boat service is dropping off supplies.
But the story of a resident who fended off a kangaroo that was trying to drown someone has received the most attention.
"Something like this (Facebook page) brings out the best in any community because people come together and they're looking at how they can support each other," Ms Meagher said.
"It's not just you talking to someone on the other side of the fence, it's also talking to hundreds of people who live in this small community.
"People feel they're isolated, so that's where the whole community spirit is so pivotal because if people don't feel isolated, they have greater strength to cope with the trauma of what's happening."
Ms Meagher says it took 18 months for the town to fully recover from the last major floods.
The local mayor said he was particularly concerned about the small town, which about 380 people call home.
"Of particular concern is the North Shore, but I sense people just want to get out and about and help each other rebuild and clean up," Port Macquarie Hastings mayor Adam Roberts told AAP.
"There's a sense of quiet optimism that we're hopefully at the back end."
Some 50,000 people have been isolated on NSW's mid-north coast and Hunter regions with rain moving south after days of downpours.
Margret Meagher knows what it's like to be alone in an flood-isolated community with a dead phone, no electricity and water the only sound from the outside world.
She lives on Port Macquarie's North Shore, a small coastal community which is again surrounded by water four years after devastating floods ravaged the town.
"Last time those six days were just really eerie, strange and difficult," Ms Meagher told AAP.
"You get very displaced, and you listen to just the silence of the water lapping underneath your house and coming up your stairs."
Port Macquarie has received a dumping of more than 390mm of rain since Tuesday, with the Hastings River reaching major flood levels on Wednesday.
The only road into the North Shore has flooded and ferry services have been cancelled.
Despite the North Shore's isolation, they're more connected than ever before.
The community Facebook page is pinging with notifications as people tell each other when and where an emergency boat service is dropping off supplies.
But the story of a resident who fended off a kangaroo that was trying to drown someone has received the most attention.
"Something like this (Facebook page) brings out the best in any community because people come together and they're looking at how they can support each other," Ms Meagher said.
"It's not just you talking to someone on the other side of the fence, it's also talking to hundreds of people who live in this small community.
"People feel they're isolated, so that's where the whole community spirit is so pivotal because if people don't feel isolated, they have greater strength to cope with the trauma of what's happening."
Ms Meagher says it took 18 months for the town to fully recover from the last major floods.
The local mayor said he was particularly concerned about the small town, which about 380 people call home.
"Of particular concern is the North Shore, but I sense people just want to get out and about and help each other rebuild and clean up," Port Macquarie Hastings mayor Adam Roberts told AAP.
"There's a sense of quiet optimism that we're hopefully at the back end."
Some 50,000 people have been isolated on NSW's mid-north coast and Hunter regions with rain moving south after days of downpours.
Margret Meagher knows what it's like to be alone in an flood-isolated community with a dead phone, no electricity and water the only sound from the outside world.
She lives on Port Macquarie's North Shore, a small coastal community which is again surrounded by water four years after devastating floods ravaged the town.
"Last time those six days were just really eerie, strange and difficult," Ms Meagher told AAP.
"You get very displaced, and you listen to just the silence of the water lapping underneath your house and coming up your stairs."
Port Macquarie has received a dumping of more than 390mm of rain since Tuesday, with the Hastings River reaching major flood levels on Wednesday.
The only road into the North Shore has flooded and ferry services have been cancelled.
Despite the North Shore's isolation, they're more connected than ever before.
The community Facebook page is pinging with notifications as people tell each other when and where an emergency boat service is dropping off supplies.
But the story of a resident who fended off a kangaroo that was trying to drown someone has received the most attention.
"Something like this (Facebook page) brings out the best in any community because people come together and they're looking at how they can support each other," Ms Meagher said.
"It's not just you talking to someone on the other side of the fence, it's also talking to hundreds of people who live in this small community.
"People feel they're isolated, so that's where the whole community spirit is so pivotal because if people don't feel isolated, they have greater strength to cope with the trauma of what's happening."
Ms Meagher says it took 18 months for the town to fully recover from the last major floods.
The local mayor said he was particularly concerned about the small town, which about 380 people call home.
"Of particular concern is the North Shore, but I sense people just want to get out and about and help each other rebuild and clean up," Port Macquarie Hastings mayor Adam Roberts told AAP.
"There's a sense of quiet optimism that we're hopefully at the back end."
Some 50,000 people have been isolated on NSW's mid-north coast and Hunter regions with rain moving south after days of downpours.