NSW flood victims kicked out of caravan parks to make way for tourists

Linda Barney, 69, and her husband, Bob, lost everything in the floods. Their house in Coraki is destroyed and they are not sure when they will be able to return to it.

Her husband, Bob Barney, 75, has emphysema so needs to be close to his doctors in Casino. The Big4 was their third accommodation in two months. They slept on two church pews pulled together at the rescue centre, before moving to Yamba for four weeks.

Guardian Australia contacted Big4 for comment but did not receive a reply.

Panicked, Linda Barney went to the recovery centre, which managed to get them a three-week spot in the Discovery Park, but she said the situation rattled the couple.

On Thursday, the NSW government set up the first temporary accommodation site in the area, at Wollongbar, which will house up to 200 people.

But industry insiders say it will take another three-to-six months to build the next sites, and in the meantime, people are living in limbo.

Chief executive officer of Northern Rivers Community Gateway Jenni Beetson-Mortimer said they had dealt with several clients now who were kicked out of short-term accommodation.

She said other people were living with friends, couch-surfing, in garages or in tents.

In announcing the pods, the minister for flood recovery, Steph Cooke, said the NSW government was doing everything possible to find housing solutions for flood-affected communities.

She said the pods would be a medium-term housing solution for the community.

North Coast Community Housing CEO John McKenna said there were currently 650 people on the waiting list for pods, but it was expected to grow.

But the pods are only part of the solution, he said, with the floods exacerbating the housing crisis in the area.