Details of a buyback scheme for people with houses in critical flood zones on the New South Wales North Coast are set to be released within a fortnight.
Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation head David Witherdin said people should know what their options were.
"There's a pressing need there for a program around voluntary purchase for those high-risk properties."
Mr Witherdin said the finer details of the scheme were still being negotiated but it would be based on pre-flood property values.
"The intent is … to try and return people to the position they were in before that event happened, not in that deteriorated state post-flood," he said.
"So there will be a process in place where independent valuers will come in, arrive at a value, and then there would be a negotiation process."
Residents encouraged to sell up
Mr Witherdin said he would be encouraging people to seriously consider selling up and moving to higher ground.
"Because you look at what this community has been through in just a five-year period, three major events, is that really how you want to spend your life?"
Mr Witherdin said the rebuilding process was likely to take between three and five years.
He said no-one would be forced to leave their home if they wanted to stay, and Lismore's CBD would not be relocated.
"Clearly around north and south Lismore there are some really high-risk flood properties, so I think there is an opportunity to make changes there," Mr Witherdin said.
"I'd expect in five years this is once again the thriving community that it was, but in a stronger, better sense … so it's far better prepared for events."
Bigger floods coming
Mr Witherdin said people living in areas that were devastated by the February 28 flood needed to accept that even more severe events were likely in the future.
"That's not the biggest flood that will come through here … but the community will be better prepared," he said.
"The infrastructure that's here will be built back better, it will be harder, so when events come through we can recover quicker.
"But I think, most importantly, this community will be able to go to sleep when it's raining and not be concerned that they're going to have to climb up through their ceiling onto their roof in the middle of the night."
