Recovery - October 2022 Floods

Recovery is the process of coming to terms with the impacts of a disaster and managing the disruptions and changes caused. For some people, the recovery process can result in a new way of living.

Recovery work refers to the decisions and actions taken after a disaster with a view to restoring or improving pre-disaster living conditions; this includes encouraging and facilitating necessary changes to reduce risk in future disasters. 

Current Recovery work in the Northern Grampians Shire was brought about as a result of the October 2022 Floods. A significant rain band passed through the Grampians Region overnight on 13 October 2022, bringing heavy rainfall that continued into 14 October 2022. This event resulted in flash flooding across a number of areas. Significant flooding impacted several towns across the Grampians Region.

If you would like to learn more about the local October 2022 Flood impacts and what was planned to assist the community, please read the Northern Grampians Shire Council Flood Recovery Plan(PDF, 665KB). 

Recovery is not a timed response. More than twelve months on from the event itself, help is still available for communities to reshape and rebuild their lives in ways that work for them. 

While the 12-month anniversary of the October 2022 Floods may have passed you by or caught you by surprise, it is also common for people to experience a heightened level of stress and emotion around an anniversary. There are lots of services available to support you through this time. To help you understand how you are feeling and explore some of the ideas that have been developed to assist you to prepare for and cope with anniversaries, this tipsheet could be helpful.

Available support 

If you are struggling, it's a good idea to seek emotional support.

You may find yourself experiencing persistent strong emotions. Talking about your worries and feelings makes them manageable. If you need help you can:

• reach out to neighbours, friends and family
• contact your GP
• contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1800 560 760
• Call Grampians Community Health for counselling on 03 5358 7400 

• The Farmer Online Assist Program provides mental health support for Victorian Farmers. The service is free, short-term, confidential psychology support to help Victorian farmers deal with immediate, or compounding, issues related to mental health. The confidential, high-quality mental health support is provided by psychologists with specific farmer health training, either online or by phone.  More information is available at www.farmerhealth.org.au/buildingfarmspirit

Disasters can cause major disruption to businesses and result in increased expenses and decreased income. Help is available. 

Small Business and Primary Producers experiencing financial hardship can access financial support through the Rural Financial Counselling Services on 1800 686 175.

Emergency Recovery Victoria 

Emergency Recovery Victoria's role is to connect individuals, families and communities, businesses and regions with support to rebuild and recover after a disaster. If you are unsure of the supports you can still access, call the Emergency Recovery Support Program and they will help you to connect to all the practical, emotional and financial support you may need on 1800 560 760.

Agricultural related assistance

Agriculture Victoria is working with Victorian farmers and industry to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters, including floods and storms. This includes delivering technical information and supporting events to support farm business recovery on topics such as:

• grazing, cropping and pasture management
• irrigation and horticulture system rehabilitation
• soil erosion management
• land management
• animal health and nutrition
• farm mapping and planning
• water quality
• weed management.

Farmers seeking assistance or advice are encouraged to phone the Agriculture Recovery Team on 0427 694 185 or email recovery@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Community Recovery

Community-led recovery is at the heart of good recovery. A community-led approach involves engaging deeply and respectfully with communities so that they can help build back stronger and more resilient. We are guided by communities and their priorities.

Community Recovery in the Northern Grampians Shire has involved:

• Provision of Psychosocial sessions with David Younger in Glenorchy and St Arnaud. 
• Holding community meetings to provide and gather information.
• Increasing methods of communication with impacted communities.
• Carrying out infrastructure work driven by community need.  A full town survey of Glenorchy has been completed and town drainage design is underway. 
• Enabling community groups to hold community events with the aim to build social relationships and connections with a focus on primary producers.
• Building relationships with relevant organisations and emergency services agencies and impacted communities. 
• Engaging Resilient Ready to identify opportunities to increase knowledge and capabilities in business sustainability, disaster preparedness and building social capital with St Arnaud Businesses. More information about the Building Better Business project can be found on the Business Development page.

• Providing resilience building programs to impacted communities such as The Six C's Building Community Resilience session in Glenorchy

If you would like more information about recovery work in Glenorchy this can be found on our website at on-going projects.

Preparing for future floods

• The lead time to respond to a flood event may be limited. All households and businesses at risk of flooding should develop an emergency plan and be aware of their flood risk. Households and businesses should refer to their Local Flood Guide or Municipal Flood Emergency Plan for more information.
• Please note: VICSES is the responsible agency for flood, storm, and landslide emergencies. 

• To access the Northern Grampians Shire Municipal Flood Emergency Plan, Halls Gap Local Flood Guide, Glenorchy Local Flood Guide, and other flood information specific for the Northern Grampians Shire, please visit the VICSES webpage for the Northern Grampians Shire