Regardless of whether you’re up to taking that step if you know your neighbourhood, town or suburb is at risk and you want to know what to do after a major flood, during the rebuild process to radically reduce the loss and trauma should that ever happen again come along and see and hear first hand about the materials that largely be familiar, to even the least seasoned DIY homeowner, that are better alternatives to allowing insurers replace the failed gyprock walls and chipboard kitchen cupboards with the same unflood proof materials.

Click on the image left to track through to book your place on Sunday May 4 at either 10 or 11am for a 45 minute guided tour.

The small charge for the booking goes to Renew.org.au as a donation to ensure this fantastic annual event remains viable.  Sustainable House Day is a wealth of information.

 Mullum Cares Purpose is to Design & Deliver Projects & Programs that Conserve Resources

“Construction and demolition produces about 44% of Australia’s total waste – about 27 million tonnes a year (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment & Blue Environment, 2020). Construction waste includes concrete, bricks, plasterboard, metals, timber, glass, plastics, carpet, vegetation, rocks, soil, and sand.”

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/waste-minimisation 

When Mullumbimby and the greater Northern Rivers region experienced a major flood season in the autumn of 2022, Mullum Cares pivoted resources from projects that stalled to launch a Flood Resilient Rebuild Project.

Information regarding worlds best practice flood resilient rebuild materials and techniques was readily available from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA).  With the generous support of James Davidson,  the technical lead architect of the Qld RA, Mullum Cares was able to share this expert information with local residents who were willing and able to investigate rebuilding as an act of preparing for the next major flood. 

Mullum Cares mantra = predictable waste is often avoidable waste.

Our Library of Stuff was seeded by funds from FRRR after the 2017 flood to support community during the preparation and recovery of damaging weather events.   When you need us we’ll be here.

Preparing for the next potential flood starts during the clean up.  We moved into our little blue shed after having to leave our previous home due to the Feb 22 flood.  We set the shelving heights when we first set them up so they are well above the Probable Maximum Flood level.

An organisation with access to GIVIT

Givit is an incredible charity that exists to be the conduit between donors and recipients.  Mullum Cares was granted access to the Givit platform to assist community as Alfred approached.  Thankfully the impacts were far less than predicted so we haven’t needed to activate our full community support but we have received a stock of mould killing product and have purchased a fogging machine that will be added to our Library of Stuff and made available for community to borrow at low cost.

If you or anyone you know is struggling to keep mould under control please use the contact form on the Library of Stuff home page to let us know and we will be in touch.

After the Feb 2022 major flood we launched a full time Flood Resilient Rebuild project as the NSW Reconstruction Authority didn’t exist yet.  We sought advice from the Qld RA and disseminated information to our community.  Here’s some of the activities and resources we designed and delivered during 2022 and beyond.

Flood Resilient Design & Retrofitting | The strategies and materials

Whether you flooded in 2022 or not, understanding flood resilient building design is something everyone living on floodplains will benefit from. The logic to apply is basically, lift what you can and use flood proof materials where you can’t.

On June 16, 2022, James Davidson headlined an our Tradie Q & A event at the Mullumbimby Leagues Club.  Over 60 local tradespeople, home owners and insurance assessors attended.  Jean Reneuf from Plan C MC’d the evening a number of senior managers from the Johns Lyng Group also took the stage.

James gives an account of his background and an overview of the work he and his team have undertaken in and around Brisbane rebuilding homes with the intention that they require little more than a hose out after inundation.  The NSW Flood Resilient Design Framework is based on the tried and tested work of James and his team. 

Tradie Q & A featuring James Davidson

Free Downloadable Posters  

“Brenna Quinlan is an illustrator and educator specialising in climate justice, sustainability and permaculture. She lives, works and builds soil on Minang and Bibbulmun Boodjar in South-West Western Australia.”    You can see more of Brenna’s amazing work on her website and socials.

Flood Resilient Sustainable House Day

Tours & Talks with Home Owners in Mullumbimby who have rebuilt flood resilient

In February and March 2022, thousands of homes across the Northern Rivers of NSW were inundated with storm and flood waters. 12 months later many of these were still to be rebuilt so Mullum Cares secured funding from the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (later restructured into the NSW Reconstruction Authority) and delivered a Sustainable House Day program.  There was still a window of opportunity to increase the number of homes that got rebuilt flood resilient rather than put back like for like.

We inspired home owners and gave them the confidence to make long lasting rebuild choices by organising generous members of our rebuild flood resilient community to open their homes in Mullumbimby and share their stories. 

Some of the homes had been retrofitted, others raised out of harm’s way. 

One had raised and retrofitted.