Tony Pembroke could be forgiven for feeling sorry for himself after his cleaning supplies store and warehouse were inundated in the recent devastating floods in Lismore.

Rather than lament his bad luck, however, he is thankful to have quickly got the RapidClean Byron Coast (Southern Cross Hygiene) premises back up and running after his colleagues, suppliers and the community in the Northern Rivers region of NSW rallied to help him and his team.

“It’s all clean now,” says Pembroke, who owns and operates the store with the support of family members Robyn, Lucy and Milly.

“There’s not a lot of signs of what occurred three months ago.”

Others in Lismore continue to try to pick up the pieces after the natural disaster.

“The floods only affected our business,” Tony says.

“We were able to go home each night to electricity, food and a warm bed, unlike a lot of people in the greater part of Lismore who lost their houses and haven’t been able to move back in because you can’t get builders or materials. And some have lost their businesses as well.”

Deadly storm

In February, the Lismore area experienced a storm bomb that lasted for four days and flood levels hit a record 14.4m.

Officially, five people died and many local businesses were devastated.

The RapidClean store suffered severe damage and stock losses after being under water for two days.

The toll included a delivery van, cargo, two forklifts and a motor vehicle. While the building remained structurally sound, the internal linings, electricals and air-conditioners were ruined.

With the business now back on line, Pembroke pays tribute to RapidClean management and members across Australia and New Zealand who have banded together to support the Lismore store.

Suppliers have also offered free or discounted stock for the store’s reopening.

“If we had not been part of the RapidClean family we probably would not have reopened as a business,” Pembroke says.

“We’re blessed to be in such an incredibly strong group of stores in our buying group.”

The flood also drove home to Tony the sense of community that exists in Lismore.

Asked to pinpoint the hardest part of the clean-up, he says: “Getting food, fuel and basics to feed the army of volunteers helping us. People just came from everywhere to help.”

Resilient business

The RapidClean store in Lismore services the greater Northern Rivers area, covering an area between Tweed Heads and Grafton through to towns such as Ballina, Byron Bay, Casino and Kyogle.

It provides cleaning equipment and accessories, automotive products and healthcare supplies.

Mindful that flood threats linger in the Lismore area, Pembroke has taken steps to minimise future effects from such events, including rewiring and lining the warehouse with water-resilient fittings and materials, installing removable shelving and washable shelves, and using offsite IT systems.

“We’ve also changed to more of a box-moving operation where everything can be got out quickly,” Pembroke says.

“Our plan didn’t work in these recent floods because it was a catastrophic event – it wasn’t just a flood. So we’ve made new plans and will carry on.”

With the worst of the clean-up behind them, the Pembrokes are looking forward to getting on with their lives and business. “We’re tired, but looking to the future thanks to all the support we have received,” Pembroke says. “We are very grateful.”

He also has no doubt that the RapidClean network will be on hand to support others who experience crises in the future.

“Whether it’s bushfires, cyclones or flooding rains experienced by our members, the group will always pull together and support each other.”