FLOODING has affected every business in Moree in some way.
Having to close early due to floods, losing customers, workers and having water destroy stock were some of the terrible incidences that business owners had to go through during these past days.
Williams Stock and Property were too close for comfort as the water was almost lapping their sandbags.
President of Moree and District Chamber of Commerce, and Williams’ co-owner Debbie Williams, watched the water creep into the CBD from the top of her business.
“We stayed in the flat upstairs and watched the water; luckily we had no water in the shop,” she said.
Gifts on Heber and the Gift Barrel were in the same boat, so to speak, with sandbagged doors preparing for flood waters.
But in the end no water went into the two shops and they opened in normal business hours.
It was not quite the fairy tale ending for Wayne’s World though.
Half the staff were stranded during the floods.
Having no-one in town to sandbag manager, Janelle Duff, prepared for the worst.
“The water went about half way into the shop; it came from the back door,” Mrs Duff said.
Only opening their doors Tuesday morning Wayne’s World lost stock, customers and they had to get in extra workers to help clean-up.
“We cleaned all Monday and got extra staff in,” Mrs Duff said.
She and the team wanted to say thank you to the sandbagger who did the front of their shop.
“Thank you to Debbie Williams and Stock and Property for sandbagging for us,” she said.
Megarita’s were hit hard according to owner, Rita McLennan.
Three inches of water swept through the cafe leaving mud everywhere.
“We scrubbed and scrubbed; it was just mess everywhere,” she said.
Ms McLennan said she ordered sandbags off the SES for her business but they were never delivered.
As for the Royal Hotel, Simone’s Hairdressers, Western Saddles and Wise Words there shops were untouched by water.
For owners, Steve and Casey O’Hara reality hit as soon as they opened Retravision’s doors on Sunday morning to find four inches of water had filled the store with mud and silt.
Luckily the carpets were saveable but unfortunately some stock was not.
“We’ve had to reduce a lot of our stock that had flood water through them but are still useable,” Mr O’Hara said.
Unfortunately for Mr O’Hara and Tracey Miller , co-owner of the Greenbah Store, insurance is one thing these two have in common.
Both stores are covered for everything in their insurance, except floods.
The Greenbah Store had been closed since Thursday and only opened its door yesterday.
The water washed right through the store losing everything.
Mrs Miller said they put everything up but unfortunately the water crept higher than expected.
“We put everything up but it either fell down or the water got to it,” she said.
The power had to be turned off, so everything that was refrigerated was lost.
Cupboards and benches, freezers and documents were a few things the store has lost.
Mrs Miller said these floods were much worse than November's, when the water didn’t reach the shop.
Purewater was not so ‘pure’ during the floods with flood water over a foot high through the shop.
But office clerk Sharon Wilde reported the shop was not overly damaged as they put everything up high and dry.
“We just have to get everything down that we had put up,” Mrs Wilde said.
The Fork and Spade Nursery and Moree Landscaping Supplies were possibly the two hardest hit businesses in town.
Tracey Donald, owner of Moree Landscaping, said the business had lost about $10,000.
“The waist-deep water cost us about that, plus,” she said.
Everything was flattened in the yard, mulchers were lost, everything was a mess and trying to push everything back up was just not working for Mrs Donald.
Fork and Spade also received extensive damage.
Owner and resident Carolyn Osmond was heartbroken.
“We were well and truly flooded; there is a fair bit of damage,” she said.
“It will be a long clean-up and recovery process.”
The Moree Golf Club has had it hard over the past few months, with the course still recovering from November’s flood.
The pro shop had just been restored with the November flood ruining every part of the shop except the roof.
This time around the water reached the ceiling but thankfully everything had been moved out of the shop and the walls were waterproofed.
According to head professional at the golf club, Matthew McGuire, these floods were a lot different to November.
Mr McGuire believes this flood was better for a few reasons.
“This time around the course wasn’t as busy as last, the revamp of the pro shop made it more water resistant and this flood was cleaner than the last,” he said.
Apart from the roof caving in, everything else seemed to be fine.
There was little damage to the greens and the course will be up and running soon.
“We just have to mow and then the course will be fine.
“We just want no more floods,” Mr McGuire said.
Financially the pro shop is struggling.
Losing business during the last flood took a huge toll on Mr McGuire’s small business.
Rural Financial Funding will hopefully answer Mr McGuire’s prayers.
“I’m struggling to pay wages and if Rural Financial Funding can’t help, I don’t know what we will do,” Mr McGuire said.
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