The toll of Australia’s flood catastrophe | Four Corners
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 07. 2022
- Australia is in the grip of a flood emergency.
It’s already uprooted the lives of thousands of people, leaving many homeless, traumatised and uncertain about the future.
Four Corners travels to Lismore, Brisbane, Grantham and Western Sydney and meets families struggling with current and past flood events. They tell stories of despair, abandonment, and financial ruin. Many have lost everything, including hope.
We investigate whether decades of warnings have been ignored, and ask whether planning failures have deepened the crisis.
Experts say critical changes need to be made now, to make sure this misery isn’t repeated for future generations.
_________
Watch more Four Corners investigations here: bit.ly/2JbpMkf
You can also like us on Facebook: /
Follow us on Twitter: / 4corners
_____________
Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated.
#ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia
Who gives planning permission in a flood plain? Who funds development in a flood plain? Who mortgages Property in a flood plain? From the top to the bottom it's absolutely scandalous that any of this was ever allowed to happen! My heart goes out to all these people who have lost absolutely everything! These entire communities need to be rehomed, absolutely no point in rebuilding. This lands on governments, councils who rake in stamp duty and rates, planning authorities and financial institutions!!
There was a time when you could sue councils that gave building permits to build on flood plains. What's happened to holding the body that gives building permits responsible?
Well...don't know if Australia is like the U.S., but here people scream about their freedom and want their views, and the builders and government are happy to oblige. Even in face of potential flooding, or nor'easters and hurricanes, and then folks build right back where they were. Say it's their home. Suspect that will happen in Australia as well. Sometimes with river communities the U.S. government will buy the homeowners out, move the whole community, and leave the land around the river as parkland buffers, but mostly it's same old same old. People think it won't happen to them until it does. Personally I'd never buy property without looking the hydrology over first, and knowing what the U.S. flood zone rating is, if available. Insurance companies have that info.
When I was in the public service in the 1980s there was enormous pressure applied to redraw flood contour lines in Sydney's south-western suburbs to open more land to development. It did not come from the Coalition, who were in opposition. To add to the mess, a different Labor government ensured there could never be flood mitigation dams in the catchment, which would have also assured Sydney of a water supply.
Caveat Emptor
@@nunyabizness9885 not when it comes to criminal negligence! Also, not when the taxpayer will be left to pick up the tab. Do it once and do it right. Bankrupt the developers who did this with impunity and never leave it happen again!!!
The definition of insanity is repeating the same behaviour/practices and expecting a different outcome. Only thoughtful, helpful change will stop the cycle of insanity.
My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by the floods.
People in Scotland have been dealing with rain for thousands of years . No building of homes allowed on flood plains .
There must be pay offs otherwise this would not be tolerated.
It would be interesting to know how much energy is used trying to keep areas in Scotland and other places like New Orleans dry.
@@kjrchannel1480 the answer is $zero . Scotland has more water in one lake than the whole of England and Wales combined . All our water rivers run clear to the sea . We do take electricity from river hydro stations .
Glad to hear that George. Very diferent scenario in Down Under.
or at the very least build them on stilts...
Only had to go through one flood in Lismore and knew it wasnt worth staying there. Built in a literal basin and a river running through it- it was guaranteed to happen again and again.
I never want to feel that level of devestation, fear and anxiety and my heart aches for those who cant leave these areas and are affected over and over.
been through two floods in Lismore now can't do it again I'm moving thoughts to the people who can't leave
Heart goes out to all the suffering. I am so sorry for all those who lost loved ones and memories due to this disaster. Thanks to all the presenters of this video.
Wow....yes your right....‼️♥️🌹♥️
@@tamisullivan8548 0
ya, me too, but hopefully a fresh start means 'a new location' too... You'd be stupid to rebuild in the same area.
Heart warming comment my friend 👍🇬🇧✌️
Wait... did that property developer basically say "sucked in, it's your fault for not reading the contract"? F'n greedy parasites.
He did indeed the smarmy, entitled grub. The poor man they interviewed obviously has English as a second language but even those fluent in English have trouble with the legalese and double speak of contracts and rely on the honesty of those they employ like solicitors and conveyancers.
Came to say the same. And him saying basically that regulation shouldn't be planned during a crisis - yeah let's pretend the crisis never happened and make decisions based off that. Be real good for his job if everyone forgot the floods ever happened. Slimy as.
Property developers are greedy parasites yes but ultimately local governments are greedier.
@@miniveedub Which suburb was that in Western Sydney?
So many people told me I was insane when I chose to be homeless at the age of 16. Now I'm the only survivor because I left a dangerous area. Drug addicts and alcoholics regularly committed manslaughter in the area I left behind. I'm still alive and everyone who stayed died. Sometimes starting over with nothing is the only way to save your own life.
My ❤ go's out to u! I find that I can be overwhelmed when in very bad situations like u are in and have been in. Only advice I can offer is think about what and where u want to go in your life. A big picture basically like where u want to live ,education ,job, stuff like that and write it down. Then make doable little things u can accomplish toward that bigger goal . In that way u don't beat yourself up for falling short of that desired big picture . So u don't get overwhelmed. Don't let friends family or anyone push u because u aren't getting more accomplished. Stick to what u know is right for u. Expect everything that can go wrong probably will. It's not because u aren't doing the right things. ❤ yourself and be around positive people . I wish u the very best.
So true. I listened to God's voice, packed what I could in a backpack and walked away from a very toxic situation. I was 45 years old and started over. I have been blessed every since.
My small town, in Wisconsin USA, was built on a river floodplain. Was. I'm glad my grandparents generation made the hard decision to move the entire town to higher ground. Besides the the smaller floods that became more frequent, 3 years ago a massive flood came, the old town was completely submerged over the rooftops for a week, only the old church stuck out above the waters. While the new new town was cut off from the outside world for 3 days the waters never reached us, didn't even come close. Don't get me wrong, this move brought problems, for example my family went from home owners to renters in the town move and we were severed from the 100+ years of history in the old town. As I said it was a hard decision but I am glad they made it, floods are no longer a thing to worry about.
Just wanted to say spot on my friend. Most hard decisions is the right decisions bless ur grandparents 👍
Great lesson in your story : Hard choices have to be made presently for the future good.
@@jayk3551 The problems in Southwest US is not only the drought, it's decades of water mismanagement.
Same goes for Europe in a "smaller" scale.
To Josiah his mumma family n friends...
You " WILL " do great things mate...
Mumma...,your strength amazes me...
You're a wonderful lady.
Other family and friends effected please stay strong...
Stay together.
Love from Australia
What if earthquake strike? God we need your intervention.
My father always said never buy anywhere that has a street called "lake" "river" "flood" "creek" etc it's named that for a reason:
I just moved into my new bungalow on Swamp Lane and now you tell me.
Flood st, creek ave, river road, lakeview cres
My street name ends in Creek but the creek in question is at the far end, downhill from here thank goodness.
My geography teacher said the one piece of advice he would give us is to never buy a house near any body of water. Not even if it is a pretty little stream at the bottom of a slope at the end of your garden, because it could always turn into a terrible raging river or flood.
@@coraltown1 😅
Yet rural and regional people continue to vote for the Libs and the Nats.
It's truly baffling.
What a loving soul that woman is taking in all her family qnd friends in need, good on ya sweetheart!❤❤❤
❤🙏
the property developers don't want any restrictions on their greed , i'm shocked.
Governments are responsible for safe goods and services to be purchased by the consumer, regulations to ensure environment and humanitarian safety.
Allowing Councils to allow development to proceed in unsafe practices is failing to safeguard sustainable and safe futures.
Sarcasm? But Greed is good? Nope!
When my husband and I bought our house in Wagga Wagga 20 years ago we went to the council before buying to see the flood maps. I am so glad we did as we have not had any problems with our house in Wagga flooding. I feel so sad for all the people who have bought houses on these flood plains who were told lies by the people making money.
It probably helped, that they built up the levy and allowed North Wagga to flood?
Nonetheless, Wagga is quite hilly - it's not difficult to find a place that won't flood.
People must be educated about flood.s And if they know then they can know where to build ! Lots of people don’t know
Abc the best Aussie news source
Murdoch wants to privatise the ABC.
Surely there is a class action lawsuit here to be had against the property developers and the corporates that sold and bought up this flood prone area. Its extremely disturbing that something like this can be gotten away with in this day and age and our 'saving grace' will be the same companies that sold this waste land, will most likely be the ones to rebuild and re-home.
Those companies have already closed and reformed and are earning money again --- it worked before, so do it all again.
After the flood plain is empty the developers will built it back up and do it again, if they can. If we want to build in these areas then new drainage and land terraforming will need to take place. It is possible.
Those companies are probably long gone by now.
Council is responsible for approvals
Governments are responsible for safe goods and services to be purchased by the consumer, regulations to ensure environment and humanitarian safety.
Allowing Councils to allow development to proceed in unsafe practices is failing to safeguard sustainable and safe futures.
I am old enough now to know for certain that we will definitely be 'repeating this misery for generations to come'....
"NO", there isn't a generation left, this place is going "a.s.a.p"!
"NO", there isn't a generation left, this place is going "a.s.a.p"!
We are always living in the "good old days" as history repeats itself.
Am I missing something? They knowingly move to a place that floods then when it floods they complain about the flooding and want somebody else to fix it?...
the houses were probably cheap as well sadly.... taking a risk is just that - taking a risk...
sounds about yt
We were all warned.
Twenty years ago, insurance actuaries were preparing for this.
A small powerful and rich minority held back progress on renewable energy development.
The fossil fuel lobby have had the ear of government for too long.
Every voice campaigning against f.f. industry, were castigated or denounced.
Now our grandchildren will be living with the consequences.
Well said.
Thirty years ago.
50 years ago
Their grandchildren?
They will be living with the consequences today.
Remember when they warned "by 2020"? we are past that point now. It is too late. Disaster has struck, and disasters will continue to happen every year, not until it is fixed, but until 20 or more years after it has been fixed.
Doubt they will be living.
My heart and blessings are with Australia, much love from new zealand😞🇳🇿
Floods, sea creep, fire, you name it, developers will find a way to make money from these areas and continue to shake off responsibility. Revenue is addictive to governing bodies. A perfect storm.
Heartbreaking :(
You should note where the churches, cathedrals and old Towns were built, because they new the safest best places and mainly built on high land back in those times. In the UK when you do aerial views of large flood events its those areas that stay above the floodwater.
This is why they blame it on climate change. The government and councils , greedy developers are to blame. Western Sydney was all farms when I was a kid. You could buy veggies anywhere along Windsor road.Crazy just crazy.I seen developers fill in a creek at Prospect a new development near where I lived. Concrete pipes under the ground. I wonder how many times those yards in that development went under.Should never build or be allowed to build near any water way..
I'm sure the two aren't mutually exclusive mate. Trouble is the scumbag developers don't give a shit and neither do most of the buyers. As a result climate change has devastating effects.
@@colconn57 agree to disagree. Farmers farmed there for a reason. Imagine if there wasn’t a dam to contain that water that’s behind that dam now. Alluvial soil got there somehow?
@@dama9150 not sure if stilts would be high enough.
Combination of both; greedy developers and corrupt councillors combined climate change caused by greedy fossil fuel companies and corrupt politicians the world over.
@@downundermtb4744 No, not for the floods that are happening now. Obv there needs to be other precautions taken. For example, we need to stop destroying the vegetation only the banks of rivers.
Flood plains are flooding areas known to authorities & developers…… So sorry for all victims.
Aren't they also known to home buyers?
@@mecster2121 no they say things like 1 in 100 year ..its not factoring in uncertainty of climate change.. force people to see data from insurances agencies on premium forecasts for the home
@@johney3734 is there any evidence of climate change causing floods though? or rising sea levels for that matter?
why are the billionnares spouting that, also buying multi million dollar houses in places that will flood when the sea rising?
@@--Traveler-- dude you are 40 years late for the debate..its over sea levels rise yes there is proof
@@johney3734 it is not climate change.. it is a flood plain and it has the risk of flooding.... it is going to be prone to flooding....
years ago they had water restrictions there ... now floods... and later we'll probably have water restrictions again..
as they have increased population steadily but no new dams it seems....
Didn’t even mention Gympie and Maryborough who have had 3 major floods so far this year
I would not be surprised to learn one day that the "one in a hundred year flood chance" phrase was invented by a property developer. "Oh yeah, it's in a floodplain, but the chances of the house flooding is a one in a hundred year flood chance" seems like not much risk, but that means there's a 1% chance of flooding in any given year, which still sounds quite low, but that means there's a 26% chance that the house could flood at least once, and a 22.5% chance that it will flood, by the time a 30 year mortgage has expired. If someone told you that by the time you've paid off your 30 year long mortgage on your new house, there's a 22.5% chance that it will have been drowned by floodwaters, you'd never buy it.
I grew up on the Murrumbidgee River and we enjoyed about five one in a hundred year floods and I'm not that old.
Academics that invent this sort of garbage need reeming
When flood assessment maps are done, and if they are done correctly, the 1 in a hundred year flood is as you say, a 1 in 100, or 1% chance of occurring every year according to the best analysis of historical and geological records. This does not mean that even historically you could not have three one hundred year flood events in one year, just that the chances are lower. This also does not mean that flood maps are accurate, as they should be updated every couple of decades with new geographical, hydrological, and climate information.
Most governmental bodies are focused on their re-election and the current priorities of the local community and their donors, and paying to update flood control information is often given short thrift as it is a "next year" subject: until it isn't.
People ignoring the flood plain dangers is a whole other issue, and has been so since we first walked the earth and could understand the concept of flood plains.
It's once a year now with climate change.
Unfortunately as mentioned in the story it comes down to home affordability so if the home did not exist in a dangerous area it could not be considered for purchase.
Not repeating the same mistakes would be the best option in consideration of future developments.
Some areas and homes have withstood or survived the disasters they can be repaired.
Other areas are completely decimated these need to be relocated and natural water courses restored.
Governments are responsible for safe goods and services to be purchased by the consumer, regulations to ensure environment and humanitarian safety.
Allowing Councils to allow development to proceed in unsafe practices is failing to safeguard sustainable and safe futures.
It's heartbreaking seeing these things happen in our country =(
Anyone else notice Rob Stokes just deflected an answer by repeating the same statement three times in slightly different wordage…. Politics is weird.
40% of the new builds in the UK are built on floodplain.
Worked on a housing project when the Uk flooded where the houses were built up to floor level .
The river burst its banks and flooded the whole site.
I imagine the clients purchasing these properties were not informed that they had been flooded before they were even built .
The whole system is corrupt from top too bottom , the new build housing is awful held together with nails ,staples and glue .
I wouldnt buy one in a million years , building companies making a fortune and local government taking the backhanders .
As long as they can get a working class peasant to sign on the mortgage dotted line Everybody’s Happy 😎
Loves too the people of Aus from the UK.
Yes absolutely. 100 per cent accurate. Went to look at a new build to downsize. Not a builder, but could a gap where window wasnt fitted properly to wall. A bay window was 18 inches from the adjoining road. £350,000.00, was the price tag. For a 3 bed house. In a poorer rural area. What a joke! Wouldn't buy one. The walls in my home are one foot thick. Solid, reliable and built to last.
Those two storey houses were designed for a flood. All the bedrooms and kitchen are upstairs, nothing but a garage and a brick storage area downstairs. It’s designed to be hosed out. Look at those houses, they are all raised, even the electrical boxes are up high.
that's assuming that each flood gets no higher than the last.....a bad assumption.
It's called a LaNina event and this one coincides with Indian Ocean dipole activation as well as Southern Ocean activation so when the harmonics of these sea surface temperature cycles all line up together we get more floods.
Pacific Ocean La Nina is @11 to 12 years. Southern Ocean cycle is @25 years. Indian Ocean is dependant upon the dipole south west of Jakarta turning on or off due to cloud of no cloud.
This will not be much comfort for those impacted.
Scientific comment.
Meaning man made climate change is a lie.
Having grown up in Appalachia, I sure saw enough of floods. We have them a lot here in Japan, where I now live. Heart-rending to see.
They need to revert the flood plains to nature, and then address the lack of vegetation up river. It's the same story everywhere.
They need to stop weather manipulation. Heaps of government funding for cloud seeding was used.
And the government needs to help these people move their homes. Because the long term cost of supporting these people is far higher than helping them move.
I still live in Appalachia (southern Ohio) about 3 miles outside of town. One of the main roads that leads to town floods each time we have a heavy rain.
Yes planners think they are more powerful and above the force on nature. Its called a floodplain so it shouldn't be built on. Stop building on watermeadows.
My God, this is breaking my heart, I am crying while watching this & it makes me realize how lucky I am to be in Melbourne, far away enough to have avoided such disaster in my own home/backyard, but close enough to feel the pain of my fellow countrymen & woman.
plees no problem australija no hartz pipel wery bad no filling yuo no God make dis like bad pipel am sory for yuo dont wory for australijan pipel
i live in adelaide and watching this.. just shocked that these kind of things still happen...
it happened many years go and surely that was plenty of time to address this problem..
would building more dams do anything to help? as i don't believe they have built more dams in NSW for decades but the population is readily increasing - thereby increasing demand for housing... so they release land that is not suitable because demand I guess...
but you have to wonder why people buy in these areas? I can understand people in areas that houses have been there for a long time but most of these houses appear to be newer... from the plasterboard...
@@albertbresca8904 They aren't properly informed of the risks. Someone says "1 in a hundred year flood" and all of a sudden the risk seems intangible.
@@XavierXonora but you'd think with all the floods that have happened in NSW over the decades they would look into it..and buyer be cautious... leaving only the foolish ones to by those houses..
i don't know much about NSW housing as i live in south aust and bought a house there - after losing serval auctions around the suburb - i eventually bought a place that was ex rental and looked terrible - worst house in a good area...
not sure what i would have done re checking re flooding but i do remember my uncle advising me never to buy in floodplains and get a good house inspector before buying...
@@albertbresca8904 I don't buy the "They were foolish it's on their heads", we have governments in place to make sure unsafe homes aren't built. You would never build a home on a receding cliff or a sinking island for example. Why should developers be allowed to build on floodplains and put people at risk to begin with? What about children who have no say in where their parents buy houses? It's just not OK.
Surely the local councils bear major responsibility for this. Aren't they the ones that approve development applications?
On a flood plain.
The NSW government took that ability away from the councils years ago. They mention around the 37:45 mark that the NSW government is doing rezoning on the flood plains.
The statement from TOM FOREST is abhorrent and just completely incorrect. There should be no new developments on flood plains and the insurance council could influence the non development by issuing a caveat of non insurance on any new developments in a flood plain. He must be a extremely selfish human to turn around and say that this is a non issue.
It’s past the conversation stage, it’s time to fund a 20/30yr relocation development fund for all residence in/on a flood plain. Starting with Hawkesbury, Lismore areas then onto areas in the hunter valley etc.
Surely the costs of floods over many yrs in areas of high risk outweighs the costs of relocation or do we spend billions on flood mitigation ?
Sydney’s proposal to raise Warragamba dam increases capacity for flood mitigation is no different than now. So what’s the plan if the new dam goes full capacity or is it kept at 50/60% at al times?
Our forefathers were warned by our indigenous peoples of floods but ignored and we pay the price today.
Yeah that guy was a snivveling flog. What a horror !
The Australian government have 100% put it in the too hard basket for way to long, its really sad to see. Take care from New Zealand.
we haven't had a government which cared for the past 9 years, hopefully the new lot is cooking up something.
@@jay5954 let’s hope so
The government? These people mostly knew. This is what happens when you build on a floodplain. It is what happens when WHOLE COMMUNITIES stare fixedly away from the coming disaster
Cheers bru 😎
what can they do tho... the only solution i can think of is that these people are just gonna have to eventually move if it keeps happening.
A normal person would ask the agent "is this house you want to show me in a floodplain or fire prone area"? "Any other down points to owning this home"? "Will you put that in writing"? When a building is located in a 100 year floodplain, that means it "COULD be flooded" once every hundred years or 6 times in one year or once every 10,000 years. When a flood happens, people look every where else but at themselves to hang blame on. What were they thinking, it's a FLOODPLAIN! And it's gonna FLOOD!! Yes, I feel sorry for these people. It goes to show that most people are short sighted indeed.
they are probably cheap and the buyers are taking a risk as it is a 1 in 100 years flood risk... sigh...
they buy these houses and the previous owners are happy (and lucky) to sell the place.. they spend all their money to buy it and seem not to have money for possible problems (like flooding..)
@@albertbresca8904 A 1 in 100 year flood risk doesn't mean that it will behave like a clock. It's an average. As these owners saw, It could flood big 3 times in 5 years or not flood for 500 years. ( Mathematical Probability).
@@robertscheinost179 exactly...
but surely that shoudl be enough to mean you should not buy there....
@@albertbresca8904 I agree. Try telling them that! They won't listen. Can't flood, right?
@@robertscheinost179 if i was looking to buy a house in NSW and it was in a flood plain i would likely say no...
i live in Adelaide on the top of a hill so unlikely to get flooded..lol (floods no, termites yes...sigh)
Living in the Netherlands, while looking at this, my thought was that you can't send in the police to arrest the water nor send in the army to shoot it but you could ask the "Dutch" for help and we would suggest "Flood Cities" which might be build on a hill high enough - we call them "Terps" - or "Floating Homes" which rise with the water but are prevented from drifting by "pillars" going up to - say - X meter ...
Of course having solar to keep energy independent is necessary here :wink:
And WHY NOT a Pipeline from Australia to California . Problem solved
Never heard of "Terps" very interesting. Ahh ...I searched it. It's artificial dwelling grounds. Thank you.:>)
Up front ...it's time to get out and rebuild elsewhere.
Time to make this change.
Residents needs to wake up and face the fact that these floodings not going stop.
You can't sell up if your house is already damaged. You're stuck there.
A 1 in 100 year flood may seem like rare but in actuality all that means is that the odds of a 1/100 year flood are the same odds every year Yall
Finally, someone that actually understands it
Lol ur right
Unemployment keeps surging and bills wait for no one that’s why we have to figure new ways to make an income, I came here to learn how to trade after listening to a guy on radio talk about the importance of investing and how he made $210,000 in 4 months from $30k. Somehow this video has helped shed light on some things, but I'm confused, I'm a newbie and I'm open to ideas
Having monitored my portfolio performance which has made a jaw dropping $320k from just the past two quarters alone, I have learned why experienced traders makes enormous returns from the seemingly unknown market
@Tace Lades Exactly, the trick is to diversify your investment, don't panic when everyone else do and invest consistently
@Boket Ruge My money stays right in my trading account, my account just mirrors his trade in real-time. That's the idea behind copying trades
+1
706
Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view !"
Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam."
Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!"
Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..."
Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!"
Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky."
Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction."
Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?"
I'm appalled the governing committees and builders that continue building in flood planes, especially those that have had massive flooding in the past.
Then the one jerk that obviously knows the contracts should warn of flood plains.
Not once did they discuss the financial cost to the rescue groups nor the risk of death to citizens or rescuers. That should be the considered in every decision.
I would take the land swap, the cost of repairing the home, would be astronomical plus the health risks.
For goodness sake when there is an evacuation warning, get to safe ground.
Likely what will happen in the area that was offered a land swap will flood more and the lower income/most vulnerable citizens will be left to struggle over and over again.
Is there no way to build numerous retention ponds or otherwise divert flood waters??
Has anyone experienced that an insurance company rejects a flood damage claim?
We have a house in Rocklea in Brisbane that was flooded in Feb/ March. The water level within the property is 300mm - 900mm depending on the locations of the rooms. Our insurance company rejected our damage claim and said the house was in a poor condition before the flood. But the house was liveable and two gentlemen lived in there until it was flooded.
If you haven’t already and it wouldn’t cause you too much extra stress, I’d take it higher in the chain and possibly to the ombudsman. What company are you with? If the damage that requires repair/replacement was because of the flood, it should be covered unless flood is specifically excluded, so they should at least be able to offer a settlement of 50%. If e.g. the floors were well and truly f*d before the flood then they might have a good case.. but it’s not often that your floor gets submerged in grotty water for a length of time without needing major repair or replacement. “Liveable” should not be the standard of rental properties unless temporarily and after an event like a flood. To hold insurance coverage, properties need to be reasonably maintained, not just liveable.
I hope that’s helpful somehow, good luck!
Standard Operating Procedure for Insurance claims. Do keep at it. Very sorry to hear about your struggle. Be sure to keep records of your attempts to collect as malfeasance awards TREBLE damages in court.
one of the conditions of insurance is that your home is in good condition and well maintained. you answer this question either verbally or online. if you make a claim, no matter what the claim is for, and they find out it’s not true then they have a right to reject your claim and void your policy. this because you misled them, whether it was intentional or not. it may sound harsh but it’s important to maintain your home. you can “live” in a home that is in poor condition. it’s not about whether it’s habitable or not
Happens all the time across all insurance companies.
Insurance companies are
worried about their bottom line, their stockholders and filling their pockets 🤨😡
We need much much better city planning in this country.
And more major Dams also .
And less corrupt narcissists wanting to profit from a development that is the antithesis of what they need and want as their ideal situation.
@Ruben Daniel Just great over here. How you doing?
@Ruben Daniel Australia. Why leave Denmark for Houston?
@Ruben Daniel Not great. Just got a massive fine because I didn't realise that my car registration isn't paid. Can't drive it till it's all sorted out either. How you doing?
What an agony. My sincere sympathy for all those affected, both directly and indirectly. No easy sentiments, this is a hideous situation. Wretched.
It reminds me Hurricane Katrina which caused levee failures in multiple areas in New Orleans in which 80% of the city was under water. It was three days, (felt like an eternity), before being rescued. So I know what its like to lose everything. I only visit my hometown to visit family. I will not move back for the foreseeable future.
But hey, at least the regulatory agencies got those nice bonuses to not regulate!
So sorry Sydney .Sending care an love from West USA 🇺🇸
The heartbreak and sickening feeling those poor people must feel, seeing their dreams destroyed. I also believe in "buyer beware". When you look to buy or build a home, you not only look at the areas schools and ease of transportation, you also have to do your homework (never go by what realtors tell you), find out from local people and the government agencies whether it is an area that can flood, be susceptible to wildfires, hurricanes, mudslides, and drought. Disasters can happen anywhere, any time, but you sure can put the odds in your favor.
i think buyer beware is ok in moderation but here i dont agree with it .. first of why should the buyer have to beware i mean most people are not experts in most things they buy be it a house or a toaster its some what unreasonable to expect everyone to know about the civil engineering and such of an areas just to buy a hose .. i mean isnt that why we pay taxes .. to pay for someone who is an expert in what ever tit is tht is being sold to come around and put a sticker on it say yes this is good no thats bad it will burn you house down ... i again sort of agree with the buyer be ware this but it... its like one of those things thats just good advice but then ends up gettign twisted in to we'll its your own fualt there fore i dont have to care about it .....
My heart goes out to ALL Aussies affected in those floods, I'm with you in prayer
Terrific report. Well done 4 Corners team.
why even interview the bloke who lobbies for housing developers. Who cares what he has to say for them? we all know what they're about.
Haha THANKYOU! getting "both sides" of the argument is sometimes uttely ridiculous
All part of the con mate. All part of the con.
Because it's good for us to hear the kind of nonsense being whispered into the ears of our pollies by powerful interests groups. We need to know the language they are using so as to counter it. They also represent organisations who are giving huge 'donations' to political parties, and yes, that includes Labor.
first thing is i really feel for the people who's lives have been ruined by these parasites
it's an absolute disgrace that because people want to make a dollar they can cause this much misery to other people
are the property developers ( parasites ) living in the areas , i think not
it's really is time for these people to be held accountable
to many times over the years I've heard this same story
ITS TIME TO MAKE THEM PAY
everyone else has to pay for there mistakes why not these parasites
@Eternal Peace i agree you should do your home work,
i question the people selling to the people buying
too much competition and lack of supply means a money pit for who ?
and a quick decision from who ?
As a Dutch person I think: fix your watermanagement! Good governance (national, provincial and county level working perfectly together), enough tax payer money...don't build in too risky area's...hire Dutch experts!
So sorry for the people of Australia and what they are going through. Praying that change comes.
20 minutes in and still no cause language, I must say I'm a little disappointed abc 😒
this is really well done.
Yeah it really is
not well done or medium raw, its burn flooded to the ground!
The people that build in these areas then lie to the home owners by saying it only floods once in a 100 years should be collectively sued for damages.
People take the hundred year flood term literally and that’s a mistake. People have the mentality that well it flooded two years ago and I won’t even be around in 98 years so we should be fine,and that’s ridiculous.
Counties and councils/towns are willing to give permits because it means more tax revenues and that is how counties and towns survive.
They will continue to give permits after all this is said and done and this will be on the news again and again and again.
Blows my mind that people are able to sell property there.
A stunning place,Australia is so beautiful lived there for sixteen years miss it alot,I really feel for these people,so hard and so stressful to go trough this not knowing what the future holds.❤❤❤
i live in adelaide australia and watching this i wonder if I had lived in NSW would I have bought one of these houses? would I have checked re flooding possibility?
what i hear is there are more people but no new dams are being built...what would or should they do with the excess water? i would assume this contributes ... there have been water restrictions a few years ago around there as not enough water... now too much ... sad really....
Australia is (perhaps was) a great place, but the government's running it are corrupt to the core.
@@dh8496 wow where do you get that from?
@@albertbresca8904 it's too big of a thing to go into in a CZcams reply/comments arena. I will mention Gladys Berejiklian being investigated by icac, John Barilaro pork barrelling, Scott Morrison giving billions to corporations in handouts for Covid when a lot of those companies actually made higher profits because of Covid, it goes on and on. I'm slightly astounded that if you have watched the whole video, you can't extrapolate from it the massive backhanders local government is getting form developers to open up flood Plains to build on to make astronomical profits. They certainly aren't doing it to help people get into houses.
@@dh8496 i live in adelaide and don't agree.. but yes the flood plain building is a classic example of....
I cannot begin to understand how youre all feeling,im in the UK but theres no flooding where i live🤞, take care hope everyone is safe and can rebuild a happy home🙏❤️❤️
Politicians know better. I am in Washington state. A few years ago we had a very large land slip that buried homes and killed people, live stock and wildlife. No homes should have been built in that area……ever! There are places that are prohibited from building. It’s sad! Mother Nature will always win.
Personally I can’t understand why ppl want to purchase / build in flood prone areas. I can’t imagine what these ppl go through on an ongoing basis with the flooding= simply devastating
Often they can’t afford anywhere else. Then these people end up stuck in poverty because of the constant flooding and clean up.
@@ash-is-napping then that’s the real tragedy
@@ash-is-napping an truly awful position to be in. Assistance from both the Federal and state governments are needed here to get these ppl outta this reoccurring nightmare
Because they are cheap..
Or they may not be aware or informed the home is in a flood prone area. They may have trusted the wrong person.
The State needs to provide funds for owners to move. A lawsuit, to sue the state with proper arguments should be taken seriously by all parties to the resolve. The state needs to own responsibility for their negligence of allowing builders to go in and build in that area. Due process is in order from the state. Just can't leave people in desperation like that.
Does Australia not have insurance? Most of the world's population lives in floodplains.
it breaks my heart to see them in this situation.
even though its not me going through it.
helpless but just to watch.
they are strong people.
❤️
I was In Lismore yesterday, it is a ghost town, sad.
😢
Damn the poor people of Australia fires, floods, drought they disasters they have to live through are horrific
extreme weather, floods, sudden storms, rains and extreme heat dry season will be regular on earth.. just do better planning, against threats
In our country we use a bullhorn, cellphone, and the news, to warn the residents about evacuation orders, it seems more work to go door to door. Next is there no way to create a man made lake and lead the water away, to be used for the drought? Japan has a great under ground system for that purpose
They use phone messages and news flashes as well but door to door makes sure everyone knows and also alerts them to anyone who may have difficulty evacuating and need assistance like the disabled, frail or aged.
@@miniveedub The leader said to the team '''we knock on doors and advise people, there is a lot of water coming their way'''' where I am from, we have a list of vulnerable people, they are the ones visited, also the neighbors know all the vulnerable, no one is left behind, there is no way our team could knock on all doors, it would be too many, and risky, as the waters could be well on the way, so the bullhorns are used, for those who might have missed the news
If it was me I'd be stripping walls in my house and getting it down to bare framing. Then bleach washing the timber to kill mould. It's not a fix but hey it's a start. Guess people in rentals have zero power to do anything. Tough times.
It annoys me so much that people are allowed to build homes and businesses on flood plains all over the world. There is a clue in the name, don't build there as people think that as the houses have been built there it must be safe. Clearly not.
Australia flood's and South West USA is having a major drought.. The world is more connected than we realise..
Too right, my hubby says the northern hemisphere has taken our water when we are in drought. I hear you Paul!
@@tiddlesa.6125 So true. All the water that's Eastern Australia has had would've filled up lake Mead very fast. Pity Australia hasn't built any major Dams for 30years to collect all that water 😥
@@paulfri1569 The problem is they release the full dam during the rain.
La Nina
Off-Topic, but 1:22 seems like Australians are getting quite ahead with solar power. Good stuff.
It’s becoming more and more common to see solar panels on the roof of homes and businesses. I have them and so do my neighbours. My panels produce more than I use most days and feed the excess back into the system and most people that have them can say the same.
@@miniveedub Thanks for explaining to a confused Scandinavian. :)
we on the north coast went through a lot with the floods and many more in Sydney and central coast in the last 18 months
We are one of the lucky ones in Brisbane's south side.About 3 months before the floods I asked my mum to get home insurance for floods...she didn't listen to me and there is structural damage to the house, stairs split in two and the bottom shower cannot be used as the water backs up out of the drain. She herself got the house only because it was cheap right after the 2011 floods and thought it couldn't possibly flood so soon again. Never turn your back against mother nature - we brought 2 dogs 2 cats 5 chickens up the 2nd floor of our queenslander and thank goodness the water didn't reach that high but it definitely went over 1.8 metres, tables and stuff were floating everywhere on the bottom floor. Some of our neighbours had water reach their 2nd floor. I registered us for the mud army 2.0 and unbeleivably a whole team of people came to help cleaning the gunk off of everything, throwing broken things onto the kerb, first us and then they worked their way down the ravaged street. A friend of mine rowed to us to lend us a generator as power was out. Nothing beats the Aussie spirit and generosity in helping out their fellow man. Very glad to be Australian, and give back when someone else needs it. Moral of the story: get flood insurance when it's cheap, and not after it gets super expensive post flood.I myself will never get a house in a flooding zone or near the beach (sea waters rising inevitably, all those seaside manors are future coral reef supports)
I think the floods showed where the flood plains are and where the natural water courses flow. They really need to rezone these flooded areas into parklands and relocate all these towns and cities to elevated ground that did not flood during these events. There is No point rebuilding in these same areas cause 1 day it will happen again and keep bankrupting the state and nation
Fantastic point
flood planning must be crucial part of all cities ,countries. there must be flood minister, food army, flood strategy in place all the time all the places. drainage, and storage of flood water for dry season, farming and dry river and large canals , water dams for storage. this water if precious for life, food, survival
"Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to the one who destroys."
This is so devastating i feel so sorry for these good people I hope you all have nothing but positive outcomes and opportunities for the rest of your life's! yous all deserve it after this horrific event yous have gone through ✌️🇬🇧✌️
It’s lovely how the PM said “It’s too early to talk about future building….” And the former official calling humans stupid. Yeah, that.
love how the old pm didnt use the available $5 billion of funding to improve dams and protections for flood prone areas. dont mean to be argumentative but during a flood isnt the time to start building better dams, wait until its over then we can start. Awful days none the less. its horrible to see what people are going through
He is nothing but talk, and he does that with a lisp.
Well it is, now is the time to talk about shelter for the people that have been affected. Once the water recedes and they can see where the systems and infrastructure has failed is the time for talking about how to prevent it in the future. However putting infrastructure at a higher priority than profits would be a better idea.
@@asheronwindspear552 , nothing of significance can be done because of the greens.
This. Will continue to happen unfortunately.
@@asheronwindspear552 yeah ill wait until ive finished watching the report before i say anything more, been out of the loop for a while, its more looking like these are largely areas where everyday (not rich) Australians are being forced out of the city into flood prone areas because the city is so damn expensive. Upsetting really, Complex issue thats difficult to communicate in a comment
excellent reporting--you finally explore some of the major issues that i keep exclaiming about. Now we need part 2 to cover more issues, like what happens to all that flood rubbish that is hauled "away"? how many toxic materials were released during the flooding? where are the toxins now? how much mold has infested all the flooded materials and homes? how are people's health affected? what are risks of landslides after the soil-sodden land cannot take any more pressure?
Excellent questions. I really wonder about the mould 😔
@@oliviachipperfield6029 I was wondering about the mold, also. It was the first thing that came to mind with all the flooding. If the insurance doesn't help, people will have no choice in some cases but to live in them. It is a worry.
Spending Government money on individual Australians vs Spending money on concrete for dams that don’t work causing more environmental waste.
The average Australian home puts more money back into Australian pockets ( workers, labourers, council rates, taxes , sustainable food ). Investment vs Major Corporations ( overseas owned) Loss
I live in the UK and we have floodplains and we the public have demanded that the council should not build houses or any other buildings on them, and they have listened to us. So I was thinking if the Australians could/should do the same and keep saying NO to buildings on FLOODPLAINS I hope it works for you.
If you build on a flood plane .Build a lower story that is only concrete .Then build the dwelling atop the concrete garage . Have a raised parking spot for the car if expecting flooding . There is just such a house near Palmerston North N.Z.
Its times like this the world should be coming together to help each other get through these sort of disasters.. one can dream i suppose 🤷♂️
Omg my HEART BREAKS FOR THEM
They need to raise existing buildings in flood plains above flood levels. Make sure the exceed 75 year (or longer) levels.
A similar requirement would be appropriate for outbuildings.
Livestock should be allowed to move to areas where they can escape flood waters easily without endangering themselves or people.
Rainwater harvesting earthworks with trees should mandated so that these event's impacts are reduced. Under current circumstances everybody is harmed and vulnerable...
Sorry for your pain and loss
The government is totally to blame for the situations displayed here… But, if people learnt how to read weather in advance instead of just waiting for the TV news guy to tell you as its happening, then people could be more prepared before it happens. I was watching it all unfold (in the weeks prior to the devastation) on weather maps etc, wondering why there was no strategies or actions put into place before it got here. It’s like no one was paying enough attention, taking it all for granted or waiting for the idiots on TV to inform them. In the day of internet and information at your fingertips, ignorance is a choice unfortunately…
Strange isn't it. BoM can't predict the weather three days in advance but can 50 years in advance.
Very good - you watched and did nothing to help the people evacuate? - your such a great inspiration to Lismore...a role model in fact! cmon mate!
Victim blaming helps nobody.
@@matildaadventurer41 If you sleep in the middle of the road, you have a high chance of being run over. If you buy a house in a place that has suffered four major floods and 11 moderate floods between 1990 and 2020 you can expect to be flooded sooner or later. Between 1890 and 1920, that is the same period 100 years earlier, there were seven major floods and four of those would have topped today's levee. No idea what caused those floods because there was no climate change back then.
@@davidcarter4247 victim blaming DOES NOT HELP these people. Stop it.
We all know that the Sydney basin is exactly that, a basin similar to a bathtub with only one pipe leading to the ocean & it is narrow & so the water doesn't get away quickly. We have had rain like this many, many times in my lifetime of over 70 years but since councils & governments got greedy for money & allowed the western plains or flood lands to be built out with concrete & housing then of course the floods are happening with increasing rapidity. However, we are still not as badly off as many other countries that I see on a daily basis being flooded with mud slides to add to the disaster. If houses are to be built in flood plains then they should have been constructed on high rise piers with the minimum of concrete laid down over the land, creeks enlarged or filled with LARGE pipes to take all the extra drainage away. People should have been warned about the fact that their suburb was being put on a flood plain. So the blame has to rest on the shoulders of our governments & councils from the 1960s onwards.
Yes, but you've got sense and integrity, I'm not sure about government and councils. All they talk about is the economy, and now look, what's this done for the economy
this is so sad,
its was a bit scary waking up surrounded by water at 6am in a part of lismore that doesnt usually flood but whats even scarier is that there are no rentals around or if they are landlords are taking advantage and charging what they can because they can.
The Hawkesbury has flooded just as frequently and higher than 14m throughout the 1800’s. in fact the ABC has articles online stating just this.
This is not climate change, this is our natural weather system.
Also: 19:30
That’s correct but all these housing estates weren’t built Marsden park, Richmond & they are starting to build Oakville & Pitt Town another disaster in the making. Insurance companies won’t touch properties in Richmond it’s uninsurable, it won’t be long no one will get insurance anywhere in the Hawkesbury.
This is sad and insane. Living in Florida on the gulf coast we are very familiar with flood zoning. There are building regulations, homes built on a high foundation or stilt homes along with other standards are mandatory as areas flood easily not just with hurricanes but any influx of rain and or water levels in the Gulf and our rivers here. I cannot imagine builders or realtors not having to disclose such a risk to people. This is not right. I have been through some horrific floods in my home and also living in Europe. It is traumatizing but we at least had information, warnings, evacuation and insurance that is affordable. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected and hope the government will do what is right.
That is beautiul comment, thank you.
You really gunna brag about Florida building and safety regulations just months after a fully inhabited tower collapsed in the middle of the night an killed 100 people?.. we don't need advice from a country with 3rd world regulations.
It's pretty common, dams are inadequate.
Bingo. The massive elephant in the room 🐘
You can theoretically build high enough to escape floodwaters, but we are talking like 2/12 times the height of a ground level house they do build this high on the east coast of the USA. And that's for ocean tidal floods.
So sad, I hadn’t heard anything about this happening. I know in our area there has been flooding, thankfully not personally, but it’s devastating and emotionally draining. Hugs and love from Texas!
tf is hugs and love gonna do
If they ever rebuild, maybe they can do so in a way that avoids the future floods causing such domestic destruction.
So sad. I'm in so.california and we need rain. It's so dry and hot. But this flooding is insane. Bless you all😢
Well at least we won't have water restrictions!
We're suffering another the La Nina affect, I think this summer it could be another cool wet one, too.
Our houses are not built very good, my whole backyard was flooded for a week. The housing construction, isn't designed to be flood proof.
Thanks for a good documentary. Lots of issues involved, one that is hardly ever mentioned is the waste generated by each event, all taken to landfill
Fantastic point