‘Casino doesn’t flood’ – It did, and it does and the recovery will take time

ABOVE: Therese Schier sits at the top of her garden overlooking the Richmond River in Casino.

Susanna Freymark

A telegram was received from Casino, stating that the township was under water and that boats were needed to save lives.

The police were already at a place about six miles up the river from Casino using a punt hastily knocked together the day before to rescue several people from refuge in trees.

This is Casino. In flood. In 1887.

The Northern Star newspaper article Floods submerge Casino shows that floods are not new to the region. There were floods in 1954, 1974, 2017 and many other years.

The flood early this year was like no other. And while Casino fared better than most towns, people in low lying areas and next to the river were hit hard.

In the days after the floods, people were in disbelief. “Casino doesn’t flood,” they said.

On February 28, it did.

Businesses on Walker St had water come into the shops. People in some low-lying Casino streets had to be evacuated by boat. Others had their homes inundated and are still repairing and cleaning their houses.

Therese and Alan Schier’s two storey house on Gilby St sits up high on the riverbank with views of the Richmond River.

The previous owner told them floodwaters had gone into the ground floor.

This year, floodwater went up the walls of the top floor of their home.

“On Sunday, February 27, were having drinks with friends sitting on the deck overlooking the river,” Therese said.

“In the five years we’ve been here, the highest flood came to the bottom of the garden. In 2017, it came to the bottom of the mango tree.”

Therese and friends had no idea what was to come.

“We were joking and watching the ducks,” she said.

The water rose and covered the garden. Photo: Therese Schier

On Sunday morning, Therese and Alan moved furniture upstairs in case the water came into the bottom of the house.

Like many in Casino that night, they didn’t get much sleep. They watched the weather reports. By morning, water was in the house and rising.

Therese’s neighbour shouted out to them that she was going to evacuate.

“Evacuate?” Therese said it seemed such a dramatic word and she was shocked.

At 10.30am on Monday, February 28, Therese and Alan left their home. They had put photos and special books on high shelves and lifted furniture up onto tables.

They packed a bag.

“Alan grabbed passports and insurance papers. I hardly have any jewellery, but I packed it and my laptop. I’m shocking at packing,” Therese said.

“I put my family history files onto a table.”

Therese shook her head. The files were washed away by floodwaters.

Inside the Schiers’ home during the floods. Photo: Therese Schier

Even while packing up the house as best they could Therese still couldn’t believe what was happening.

“I wasn’t scared. I’d never experienced a flood,” she said.

Neighbours gathered on the street corner and swapped phone numbers. A car was stranded in floodwater in West St.

Alan and Therese went to a friend’s place on high ground.

At 7.30pm, they came back and stood at the end of the lane and looked at their house. It was unrecognisable.

“Our hearts sank with the realisation it had gone through the house,” she said.

The Schiers’ home at the height of the flood. Photo: Therese Schier

By 10.30 the next morning the water had subsided.

Downriver, people in Coraki, Woodburn, Bungawalbin and Broadwater were being hit much harder.

The devastation of homes in these areas and the isolation of the community for days meant there was little time for people and the media to think about Casino.

Richmond Valley Council staff were quick to clean the main streets of the CBD. Skip bins were put in the streets so shops that were flooded could be cleaned out and get back to business.

General manager Vaughan Macdonald said they knew what was coming down river – and they knew it would be much worse. History had shown that.

Most of Casino had minor or no flooding but for those living close to the river like Therese and Alan, the disaster was personal.

Their view of the Richmond River bears the scars of the disaster with the river access via Halstead Drive destroyed.

The clean-up began.

Therese said they had help from friends, the army and some wonderful tradies.

Everything they needed to fix the house they were able to buy in Casino. Tiles, Gyprock, paint and more.

The Schiers stayed at friends for eight days and at the caravan park for four days before moving back into their home.

“We had a bed, a bathroom and a barbecue.”

That was six months ago and Therese has had time to think about the experience.

She’d like to see more  automated gauges in the river for accurate readings.

Therese will to draw up an evacuation plan for next time.

She would have liked to have had more communication from the SES.

“We weren’t doorknocked,” she said.

Most importantly she said it was important people remembered that the flood recovery is ongoing.

“It’s like a grief.”

Friends need to stay in touch with those impacted by floods and “take a cake around” and talk to them.

The council declared 270 structures were damaged in Casino during the floods. This isn’t only houses but includes all buildings.

The wooden floor of the Casino Indoor Sports Stadium was severely damaged.

The Casino sewage treatment plant was damaged too.

While Casino doesn’t ‘usually’ flood so badly, this time was extraordinary and for those whose homes flooded, the journey to repair and recovery is a long one.

Read Richmond Valley Council’s full flood report.

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