In Morgan, family waits nearly four years for flood repairs — ABC News Australia
In the Australian town of Morgan, South Australia, the Bruce family has been unable to complete repairs to their home, damaged during the 2022 Murray River flood, for nearly four years. The ground floor of the house was flooded 10 months after the family moved in. Jamie Bruce has been sleeping on a fold-out sofa all this time, ABC News Australia reports.
The flood destroyed Jamie's bedroom. At the peak of the flooding, the water flow volume was 186 gigalitres per day, and only concrete structures and wooden cladding remained of the room. The stairs in the house are currently supported by two wooden panels.
Delays with insurance and tradespeople
Jamie's mother, Kay Bruce, called the first year after the flood a “nightmare.” For five months, the family lived in a large metal shed belonging to an acquaintance. Due to a delay in the insurer assigning a tradesperson, the Bruces agreed to a payout in order to find specialists to rebuild the home themselves.
Kay Bruce said she kept a spreadsheet with tradespeople's contacts. According to her, despite attempts to coordinate the rebuilding independently, after three years she still had not managed to find a specialist willing to do the work. Her husband, Rob Bruce, also expressed concern over rising building material costs.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Labour shortage in construction
According to the Insurance Council of Australia, the cost of building a new home in South Australia has risen by almost 40% since 2021. Alix Pearce, the council's general manager for social policy, climate and international engagement, said that the average cost of building a home in the country rose by 30% over five years, while inflation was 24%. Roof tile prices increased by 77% over that period, she said.
Master Builders Australia estimates the country's current shortage of skilled workers at 141,000 people. The South Australian government said the state needs about 20,000 workers over the next five years for major projects and housing construction. State authorities, together with the federal government, committed to allocate 11 million Australian dollars over two years to reimburse travel costs for regional apprentices and trainees.
The Bruce family has already returned to their home, but believes that completing the repairs will help them finally recover from the flood.
