Flood-hit residents say it's impractical to raise their homes to the heights required to receive funding

Floodwaters rose a metre above Des Lawlor's floorboards. He's been asked to raise his house even higher. (ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)

For Des Lawlor, bubbled paint and swollen wood are constant reminders of the pain of the past 12 months.

Mr Lawlor, from Gympie, was among the half a million people affected by the floods that tore a path of destruction through south-east Queensland in February 2022.