The one-year limit on temporary accommodation provided by some insurance companies to people whose homes went under in the flood must be extended.
That was a key point of consensus at a meeting of flood-affected locals in Mullumbimby last week.
As the anniversary of the disaster approaches, some are facing the prospect of losing their temporary accommodation because their insurance companies will only pay for one year of rent.
‘Of the many outcomes, none was more significant than accommodation,’ said one of the organisers of the meeting, Susan Fell.
‘A further wave of homelessness must be avoided.’
Ms Fell and the other meeting attendees are calling on the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Commission (NRRC) to make direct representations to the CEO of the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) calling for the deadline to be extended.
‘There needs to be a public announcement by the ICA,’ Ms Fell said.
‘Until insurance companies and builders resolve the rebuilding of our homes, and our reinstatement, there is an increasingly high level of personal and community anxiety.’
More than 100 affected
Other key outcomes from the meeting include a request that the NRRC provide official figures on how many homes were affected by the floods, including the number of residents who have been unable to return, and those who are living in substandard conditions.
‘This issue is estimated to affect more than 100 Mullum residents,’ Ms Fell said.
