TWO elderly women had to be evacuated from their social housing units as water flowed in during last week’s torrential rain storm that hit Ulladulla.
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It was the second time the recently-built social housing units in North Street, Ulladulla, had flooded in the past two years.
Yet while many properties around Ulladulla were flooded as creeks broke their banks and inundated properties, residents in the social housing units said the water was coming in from under internal walls.
Margaret Dean, 77, said there was water more than a centimetre deep flowing through her home.
“It came through the walls and was running across the lounge, kitchen and bathroom,” she said.
A neighbouring ground floor unit housing 90-year-old Merle Fraser and her daughter Ralda Graham had water coming in at four different locations.
At one stage all three women were manning brooms and working together to try and sweep water out of the two units.
Built as part of the federal government’s economic stimulus plan in response to the global financial crisis, the completed units were handed over to housing company Bluechip, with Southern Cross Community Housing managing the property.
It offered to house the women in a motel following the flooding, but Margaret and Merle instead spent the night with a relative.
Several days later they were still using industrial fans to try and dry the carpets.
Ralda believed the water was coming in through the roof and running down walls.
“It’s got to go somewhere, doesn’t it? So it came down here,” she said.
Margaret said “nothing was done” after previous flooding less than two years ago.
“I’d like them to fix the problems properly, instead of just talking about it,” she said.
“I’m worried all the time now with the weather, whether we’re going to have it again.”
Southern Cross Community Housing chief executive Marg Kaszo said the organisation was doing all it could to help the residents.
She said the cause of water getting into the units was still being investigated and “we will respond as quickly as we can”.
“A problem like that needs to be fixed, but sometimes as managers our hands are tied,” she added.
Many other properties around Ulladulla were inundated as Millards Creek and Racecourse Creek both burst their banks during the heavy downpour.
Lake Tabourie also expanded into nearby homes before Shoalhaven City Council was able to open the lake to the sea on Wednesday morning.
Residents at Lake Tabourie said they were accustomed to water in their yards, but said they had not seen it so high in recent years.