Karen Thomas’s life was turned upside down when floodwaters soon surrounded her rented property in Ingham last February. She does not have a formal rental agreement for her home, putting her at risk. Soon after the flood washed away all her possessions, Roshan’s city is now experiencing a deepening housing crisis. Thomas is still dealing with deep personal tragedy following the suicide just last month of her daughter, Jody Davies. Now, she is very shortly moving to Townsville, more than 100 kilometers south, to live with family.
The floods not only displaced Karen from her home — they cut her off from a community she loved. As a result, she has struggled to find a permanent rental ever since the catastrophe, now contending with a tight rental market in Ingham. Just like Karen, other residents have had to recently make the hard choice of exiting with the choices diminishing and supply still minimal.
The Devastation of the Floods
After the floods passed, Karen Thomas recounted seeing the destruction as “devastation.” She arrived back at her home to find it in ruins and deemed uninhabitable.
“When we went back to the house after the flood had subsided, it was like devastation, it was terrible,” – Karen Thomas
Without a formal lease agreement established, she was further challenged to know how to recover post-disaster. She was not only forced to throw away flood-damaged items, a constant painful reminder of her former home and daughter’s death.
The recovery work goes on. Real estate agent Felix Reitano previously told Insider how the floods turned a moribund housing market into a buyers’ paradise. He found it telling that so many had to displace to get the insurance claims work done. Sadly, they had trouble locating other places to stay.
“People had to move out of their properties to get insurance work done, and they didn’t have a place to go to,” – Felix Reitano
The floods added even more pressure to a housing market that was already broken, putting many residents like Karen between a rock and a hard place. The safety net that once kept Ingham residents afloat has frayed, leaving dozens on the brink of homelessness or survival mode in their cars and vans.
A Struggling Community
The ongoing housing crisis has taken a heavy toll on Ingham’s people. With rental listings virtually non-existent prior to the floods, the outlook has become catastrophic.
While residents struggle through dire straits, some have reportedly started sleeping in cars or couch surfing among friends and family. Quinta Lahtinen, a local advocate, noted that families are grappling with overcrowding issues as they struggle to find stable accommodations.
“We’re seeing really significant overcrowding issues with families, and lots of couch surfing,” – Quinta Lahtinen
Karen Thomas expressed frustration over how quickly rentals that are available are taken.
“If there’s a place to rent, it’s gone in five seconds. There’s really nothing in this town,” – Karen Thomas
The intense, large-scale displacement has forced many of these long-time residents to look for shelter elsewhere. Today—as Karen considers how to move—she mourns not just the loss of her house, but the loss of her home.
Calls for Action
Local leaders are doing what they can to push for immediate relief that must come from the federal government. Hinchinbrook deputy mayor Mary Brown said she was hoping for a quick recovery. She admitted that the need for more housing options in the area is immediate and pressing.
Karen Thomas has joined family members of shooting victims from all over the country in urging government agencies to take immediate action. She knows that rapid response is vital for the people who have lost their homes in the recent floods.
“We need emergency help. Please don’t forget us. There are a lot of people like me,” – Karen Thomas
Her idea was that temporary structures would offer relief in the interim as permanent homeowners went through rehabilitation of their homes.
“If the government put 100 dongas up on a piece of land, just for a year or so, people [would] get somewhere to live, and settle [while] the houses get fixed up,” – Karen Thomas
Reitano is the first to say that it will take years to recover from this crisis, but as she said, “We need to start now!
“It’s going to take a long time to get out of this crisis,” – Felix Reitano
As Ingham at last begins to clean up, its residents are left to confront serious short-term and long-term challenges. The need for adequate housing remains critical as many individuals like Karen Thomas continue to navigate their losses amidst an uncertain future.
