I’ve never ever seen water like I saw the other day

Stacey is one of the many people Vinnies has been able to assist with funds raised through the Vinnies NSW Flood Appeal.

You can help communities impacted by flooding in Northern NSW today by donating at www.vinnies.org.au/nswfloodappeal or calling 13 18 12.

When comparing the various floods that have hit Lismore over the years, Stacey has no doubts over the severity of this latest disaster.

“This is worse – I’ve never ever seen water like I saw the other day.”

“I don’t ever want to see that again, it’s pretty scary.”

Born in Lismore and living in the Northern Rivers all her life, Stacey vividly recalls the harrowing details of the worst floods to ever hit the region.

“I was on the telephone to my cousin who lives over in South Lismore, she’d called me to say the water had hit and it was to her fourth step.

“I said, ’it’s not to my house, not yet’.

“By the time I turned around it was basically to the top of my stairs, [it had] come through my floor and back front door.

“I got off the phone and called the SES, they told me they couldn’t come, it was too dangerous [and] to get to the highest point of the house, which was my roof.

“I had two boys in the roof, my 18-year-old cat and then we were stuck - my 15-year-old was trying to smash through to get us out, but we only just got a new roof, so we couldn’t get out.

“My neighbour next door smashed the window and got us out the next morning and we ended up going on the roof of his house.

“There was about eight of us on that roof until two boats came and rescued us – it would’ve been five hours after.

“I went down to my house a day later, my son found my 18-year-old cat alive and then my five boys started clearing my house out… I’ve lost everything.”

Having assisted family members impacted by the floods in Lismore five years earlier, Stacey is drawing on those same connections in the interim while hoping to find a new long-term home in neighbouring Goonellabah.

Locals across the Northern Rivers, such as Stacey, need your help to recover and rebuild after the worst flooding to ever hit the region.

You can make a difference by generously donating to the Vinnies NSW Flood Appeal by visiting www.vinnies.org.au/nswfloodappeal or calling 13 18 12 to enable Vinnies to offer a hand up in a time of need.