Beyond the Deluge
Mick McCardle · 45 min
A retired army logistics veteran with no prior flood experience stepped up to run the emergency operations centre for an entire devastated community — and stayed for 14 days straight.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
In July 2022, the worst flood in 70 years hit Broke. When the floodwaters receded enough for Mick McCardle to leave his property, he found the fire captain Kathleen at the Broke Hall, exhausted after nearly two days of running the emergency operations centre alone. She asked if he could take over. He said yes, and stayed for 14 days straight.
Mick brought 32 years of military experience to the task, including logistics work in Namibia and command roles in Newcastle. What started as one whiteboard became twelve as the scale of the disaster became clear. The priorities were immediate and concrete: restoring drinking water after the floodwaters destroyed the main supply line, managing sewage systems across a town on septics, and dealing with erosion holes under houses that no one had seen before. He coordinated with council, the RFS, SES, and volunteers. He ran a supply shop where people could grab toilet paper, hand sanitizer, food, and toiletries. He held town meetings every couple of days to keep residents informed about what was happening and what came next. People said those briefings gave them something they desperately needed: clarity, agency, and a sense that someone was paying attention.
The flood pulled the community together. Neighbors who hadn't spoken in fifteen years were helping each other. When Mick thought too hard about what people were going through, he had to step away. He remembers being in the shower one morning in the fetal position, crying. Then he pulled himself together and went back to the work. No one in Broke died. After everything, Mick knows this: family matters, and the principle of helping your neighbour has fallen away from the world's priorities. He thinks that loss is one of the most damaging things happening now.
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