Queensland 2013 Floods: Residents of Bundaberg Rebuilds, Relocates to New But Temporary Village
Authorities in Queensland are now racing to construct a 300-bed village in Bundaberg as residents of the town start to rebuild their lives after the devastating January 2013 Queensland floods brought by ex-cyclone Oswald.
Located at the city's showgrounds, the village is being fast-tracked to be opened within the next couple of days so that people whose homes have been ravaged by the destructive floods may temporarily stay in it as they plan out their next course of actions. To date, 200 residents still remain in evacuation centres following the dreadful flooding disaster, while others are in a shed near the airport.
"This is a mammoth problem for them and we've all just got to be patient," evacuee Stephen Mortenson told ABC.
But while some mull of repairing or rebuilding their flood-damaged homes, others plan to eventually leave the city and start rebuilding their lives elsewhere.
"It was a sign from heaven - it said, 'Wash your old things away and start again'," resident Ben Mockel told ABC.
On Monday, authorities said that of the 3,670 flood-damaged houses that were assessed in Bundaberg, there were 38 houses that have been flagged down as unliveable. Severely damaged were another 356 houses while 784 houses were listed as having medium damage with floodwaters rising above power points.
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