A house in Mullumbimby in the aftermath of the flooding. Photo Jeff Dawson
The first official data has been released following the devastating February 28 floods.
Byron Council’s Survey for Flood Impacted Business: Key findings outlines the responses from 62 local businesses from across sectors including retail, accommodation/food services, arts and recreation, manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, agriculture, education and construction. The findings found that after the floods, ‘The most significant reduction in employee numbers were in the tourism, accommodation and food services and arts and recreation services industries’.
The survey says, ‘44 of the 62 respondents said their business suffered direct damage from recent flood events, 17 said they were not indirectly impacted, and one business was unsure of any indirect impacts’. When asked if business owners would be taking out flood insurance in the future, 28 of the 62 said no, as it was ‘cost prohibitive’. 14 business owners said ‘yes’, while 13 said it was not an option for their location.
