Beyond the Deluge
Annie Cossins · 46 min
When the July 2022 floods cut Wollombi off from the world, one volunteer firefighter and her RFS brigade became the entire recovery system for forty flood-ravaged homes — armed with hoses, compassion, and the conviction that clearing mud is the first step back from trauma.
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On 6 July 2022, the worst flood in 70 years hit Broke and the Hunter Valley. When water cut Wollombi off from the outside world, Annie Cossins and her local RFS brigade became the only cleanup crew for forty flooded homes and structures. Annie had lived on her rural property for 24 years and served 12 years in the RFS, but flood recovery work was new. What she found was houses turned inside out by floodwater, everything tossed to the centre of the room, and inches of mud caked on every surface, including the walls. Without help, most homeowners had no way to start recovery.
Annie and her crew worked alongside young Defence Force personnel stationed at Singleton, spending hours hosing out mud and removing destroyed furniture, appliances, and sodden carpets. This work was physically hard and emotionally confronting, but Annie held both things at once: she got on with the job while staying present to people's grief and fear. Clearing the mud was never the point itself. It was the first step that let people see a pathway forward, permission to believe recovery was possible, even though it would take months or a year or more.
Annie reflects on what the floods taught her about human nature. When disaster strikes, people's instinct is to rebuild and reconnect. If volunteers show up to help, people respond with gratitude and determination. She worries about her community's future as landholders age out and younger people cannot afford rural land prices. She also faces the knowledge that disasters are becoming more frequent. Her advice to others is practical: store fuel and food for three weeks, invest in battery backup power, and if you live on the floodplain, make the harder choice to move to higher ground.
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