Hundreds of volunteers help clean properties after devastating Taree floods
After experiencing major flooding in 2021, Taree was recently hit with 500 millimetres of rain in a matter of days, causing widespread damage and property loss.
This weekend, people from around the mid-north coast arrived at the town next to the Manning River to help out with the community event called Mud Muster.
"I've come from Foster but I'm a Taree girl," Debra Brown said.
She said residents have still not been able to even enter some of the worst-affected properties.
"The houses are full of mud, there are logs in houses and we cleared away one front door because there were sticks and logs and mud stopping people from even getting into the house to empty it.
"The poor owners don't know if they're coming or going."
Tracey Stevenson's mother is still recovering from the 2021 foods that damaged her house in Wingham.
Four years later, she has to relive the trauma.
"It's very hard for her to be here — people are asking her what she wants to throw out, it's overwhelming and then you're in tears for an hour," Ms Stevenson said.
"You go home and you can't switch off in bed either."
She said after days of labour, her family is past the worst of the clean-up.
"You go between warrior mode and devastation mode but we're over the hard part of moving the furniture out and digging out all the mud, which was 4 inches through the whole house.
"Pretty much everything was thrown out but we managed to keep Mum's bed."
She said while much of the house was salvageable, other parts would need to be replaced and the home was not insured.
"Mum's tough, she's a farmer and a nurse and will overcome it with time and support and her animals, which are everything to her.
"I think we'll just keep supporting her and keep going on until we decide down the track whether we do a change or whether she stays."
Following the floods, Mid Coast Community Flood Response First Nations lead Tanika Perry went door-to-door, visiting the Biripi Aboriginal Mission at Purfleet, south of Taree.
In the immediate aftermath, access to the community was cut off, meaning food supplies could not get in.
Ms Perry said the toll had been significant on the Aboriginal community, which had not been able to see family members that were isolated, as well as losing many possessions.
"In the last four to five days we've been able to build out a big strategy around us as a community group supporting the Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to work together in response to the floods.
"In terms of infrastructure, some houses more towards the river bank have lost everything.
"But in terms of the community at Purfleet, no infrastructure was lost but people have lost items in their house and then there's all the mould."
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