A long-time Rochester resident tells the parliamentary committee they have 'no comprehension' of what residents endured, watching support head further north as floodwaters swirled around them.
Former mayor Leigh Wilson tells the committee Rochester needed more support during the floods.abc.net.au/news/rochester-floods-parliamentary-inquiry-change-needed/102764020Ten months of pain and suffering could be heard in the voice of Leigh Wilson — regarded by some residents as Rochester's unofficial mayor — as he addressed the inquiry into last year's devastating Victorian floods.
He told the inquiry about the tireless efforts of emergency services and Rochester residents in an environment where floodwaters had trashed almost every building while uncertainty reigned about missing and injured residents. "We couldn't be where we are today, with two-thirds of our homes probably back up and running and businesses operating from their front doors … it would not be happening," she said.
Rochester Community House manager Amanda Logie said residents who had lived through the 2011 floods used their experiences to respond to last year's disaster.She said the community worked together to develop a spreadsheet, which they used to keep track of residents in need of help and who was available to assist.
Mr Wilson, a former mayor of the Campaspe Shire Council, said the local government response could have been better, but it was difficult to criticise."It is hard to criticise [but] could they have done better? Could they have done more? Yes … plenty of their staff were flooded as well.Ms Logie said the 2011 flood was "a trickle" compared to the devastation of last year's event.
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