A team of tradies will descend on flood-ravaged Rochester in November to try and get as many people as possible back into their homes more than a year after the natural disaster.
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Following the October 2022 flood event, Christian charity Samaritan's Purse deployed volunteer relief teams to Rochester to help with the clean-up.
The organisation is now returning with tradies in tow, as well as other volunteers, to work with the Campaspe Shire Council Flood Recovery Hub and other recovery agencies to identify residents who need the most help.
A lack of tradies to help with the rebuild has been a major challenge to the town's recovery, according to Leigh Wilson who is the chair of the community flood recovery committee in Rochester.
About 50 per cent of residents are back home
Mr Wilson estimated that between 40 and 50 per cent of residents had returned home, with more being able to do so each week.
He now hopes Samaritan's Purse's tradies project will speed up the process.
"This is exciting," Mr Wilson said.
"We need a shift towards something a bit more positive, because right now we're in the grind of getting through it."
Hundreds of homes in Rochester still remain empty, stripped bare to studs, with residents unsure of when they can return. Caravans set up in front yard of homes are a common sight.
Couple close to moving out of caravan
"A caravan is for holiday in, not to live in," said Liz, a Rochester resident who spent months living with her husband, Greg, in a van following last year's flood.
The couple shared a story of an elderly friend who is still in her caravan, confiding in them "I don't want to die in here".
Samaritan's Purse relief teams cleaned out Liz and Greg's home in November of last year, and now they are close to being able to return to a newly restored home.
"It's the people who are on their own [that] you feel sorry for," Liz said.
"If we were 10 years older, we wouldn't have been able to rebuild."
Samaritan's Purse Australian Disaster Relief Manager Dan Stephens said Rochester residents had endured a huge mental health toll because of the slow process of recovery.
Group offers a thread of hope
"Twelve months following the flood, residents of Rochester are tired yet remain resilient, holding on to hope that they will see their town as it once was before the flood," he said.
"This November, Samaritan's Purse Disaster Relief volunteer teams will return to Rochester to offer a thread of hope to those who have endured months of slow, tedious recovery."
Mr Stephens said the objective of the project was to provide practical assistance and property repairs to help residents return home safely.
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He said Samaritan's Purse recently completed a similar project in flood-devastated Lismore, assisting more than 80 families by installing new walls, kitchens, cabinetry, and other repairs.
"People recovering from disasters need hope," Mr Stephens said.
"Yes, they need their homes repaired and properties restored, and we do all that. But ultimately people who've been through disaster need to know that they are not alone, and that there is a community of support.
"We want people to know they haven't been forgotten, and that they matter. Samaritan's Purse exists to offer people hope in the time of despair."
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