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  • 2 years ago
Twelve months on since the Rochester floods which decimated the central Victorian town, many residents are still rebuilding their homes.

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00:00 I'm going to live in here for another year.
00:03 Twelve months on, Peter and Mary-Anne Brahm are still living in a caravan outside their
00:09 Rochester home.
00:10 It's very heartbreaking, no, to have your dream spot and all of a sudden you have no
00:17 control over mother nature.
00:19 Last year's flood was the worst the town's seen.
00:22 Hundreds of homes were inundated, displacing most residents.
00:27 There had been one foot through the house.
00:30 The Brahms' house won't be ready for another year.
00:33 Under new building regulations, the floor must be raised by around 70 centimetres.
00:39 Raising the level of the house floor up to here is 25% cost of the new build.
00:44 Insurance figures show just how long it takes to rebuild a community.
00:49 In the last 12 months, there have been more than 1,500 claims for Rochester, including
00:54 600 houses.
00:57 Almost 60% have been resolved, but that still leaves hundreds of houses unfinished.
01:03 The claims that are yet to be closed are in the system and working towards closure and
01:09 typically they will be more complex cases.
01:12 While the physical rebuild of Rochester continues, the social scars are a long way from healing.
01:18 We've had to go through a lot, Ben.
01:20 Just coming to school, it takes a lot, but we all do it every day.
01:23 Year 12 students Denver Matthews and Michaela Tatt are just weeks away from sitting their
01:29 exams.
01:30 But studying in homes without walls or travelling an hour to school makes it hard to focus.
01:36 I definitely didn't think 12 months after so many people would be in the same situation.
01:42 17-year-old Zach Weilman, who also lost his home, is helping to organise a music festival
01:48 to mark the one-year anniversary.
01:50 Dubbed Rochella, it's being held this weekend.
01:54 I reckon it would be great to get everyone's spirits back up and see everyone combine as
01:58 a community.
02:01 A welcome distraction from the destruction.
02:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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