The number of houses in Lismore deemed uninhabitable sits at more than 2000 and while some of them can be made habitable again, it is a sad fact that many will need to be demolished.
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The true extent of the unrepairable damage is still being determined, but the NSW Minister for Flood Recovery Step Cooke said the owners of those homes will have the full support of the government.
Ms Cooke said the government has committed $142 million to help people whose homes need to be demolished. The money will cover the demolition and the removal of materials.
"We are not putting that burden on them ... the funding will cover a lot of homes and commercial buildings. If it turns out that we need to allocate more money than that, we will. We will never cap that."
Ms Cooke recognised the individual housing needs of people in the community were quite varied and there was no "one size fits all" option.
"In my role as the minister flood recovery minister I'm very, very conscious of the fact that everyone is on their own individual journey, through the recovery process and we need to be responsive to people's individual needs. There's never going to be a one-size-fits all and that's why in relation to our housing initiatives overall we have really done our best to cater for individual needs and give as much flexibility as possible. And we'll continue to do that," Ms Cooke said.
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She said short term rental relief for 16 weeks offered people breathing space to really appreciate "what does my future look like?".
"They are complex decisions, we need to make sure we are with them through all of that."
Motorhomes and tents were also either on the ground or on the way to help to meet the short term needs of people needing temporary housing, with some longer term options being worked out.
Housing pods that could be placed on people's properties while they rebuilt or repaired their homes, were one of the options suggested in the Premier's housing plan, and they are on the way to the region soon.
Ms Cooke said: "We are in process procuring pods at the moment and I would expect to see them live on the ground within weeks".
She said the government was also working with the council to set up donga villages where they were needed in the community.
Land was being identified that already had power and water infrastructure in place that could provide a location for a donga village, or number of villages.
Ms Cooke said a number of villages would be set up throughout the region, and was particularly appropriate for smaller communities as identified by the council.
"A rebuild could take 18 months to two years, it needs to be suitable for those needs," she said.
Schools and other State-owned buildings, such as police and fire stations were still undergoing detailed assessments, but Ms Cooke said whatever buildings needed to rebuilt, would be, and to a better standard than what they were before.
When asked if a similar pod or donga set up could be provided to help small businesses get back up and running, Ms Cooke said it was certainly something they would consider.
Shops in the Lismore CBD may face many months before they can reopen fully, and Ms Cooke said the government would look at all options available.
"Right cross the board we are looking at options and nothing is off the table in how we help this community rebuild and recover," Ms Cooke said.
