Mister Brisbane: Flooded future?
As the clean-up continues, some families just want out
I once owned a house in a street that was notorious for being flooded. Every time there was heavy rain, it was one of the first to go under. In fact, many of the nearby houses had already been removed for that very reason.
So, why did I buy in Northey Street, Windsor? Because, I liked the house and it was ideal for my family’s needs at the time. I wasn’t naive. I knew about Northey Street. Everyone on the northside of Brisbane knew about Northey Street.
But I was assured by the local councillor that remedial drainage work had been done — I was told I wouldn’t believe how much money they’d spent — and it would “never flood again”.
I sold the property in late 2007, with a clear conscience because of those assurances and the fact that it hadn’t flooded during the (relatively short) time I’d been there despite a few of what are now called “rain events”.
In 2009, the house went under again. And then I did feel guilty, because I recalled that the real-estate agent had told me the buyers had suffered a fire at their previous home.
Because I was overseas at the time, I’m not sure whether the house went under again in 2011.
In any case, either after 2009 or 2011, the house was removed and the owners compensated by the council. An online search suggests they got more than they paid, which isn’t always the case.
The land where that house once stood is now a car park adjoining the public park that was created after previous flooding.
I read today that residents in areas flooded in the recent deluge are asking for the council’s buyback scheme to be reintroduced and extended. I guess that that will be expensive, but I hope for people in genuine hardship that it is.