South Lismore resident Dan Brauman says being unable to find out where water came into his house has been the hardest thing to deal with.
Mr Brauman stayed in his home for as long as he could when the catastrophic flooding began four weeks ago.
He had to be rescued by boat late in the day on February 28, when the Wilsons River was nearing its peak.
But things were different this time around because he Mr Brauman did not witness how high the water got in his home.
"On Monday I was still ripping walls out," he said.
"Then to be faced with police knocking on my door telling me I had to leave — I didn't want to."
Mr Brauman said it had crossed his mind to pretend he wasn't in the house so he could stay, but he decided against it.
He moved back into this South Lismore home three weeks ago and said he chose to camp in the shell of his home.
"I just felt more at ease being there rather than being there with other people, even though they were so welcoming at their homes," he said.
Mr Brauman says the second flood in a month is testing people's resilience.
"We're exhausted mentally and physically, we're sore, and a lot of people were starting to get upset," he said.
"But then to be faced with it again for so many people — we may say that it's not that bad, but for some people, they've lost what they've already built over the last three to four weeks."
Relief for some
Lismore resident Jamie Haycock is among those who have been spared a second inundation.
"To have the water come through your home four weeks ago and to have that stress of the last couple of days, it's a relief now," he said.
Mr Haycock had two and a half metres of water through his house earlier this month.
Recently he decided to move back home and camp in his backyard with his 13-year-old triplets.
"It's brought us back together," Mr Haycock said.
Can businesses rebuild?
Kim Moss, who leases the Wilson Motel on Ballina Road, just replaced everything he lost in the last flood.
Now he's lost it all again.
"We bought $10,000 worth of carpets, $20,000 worth of beds, probably another $20,000 worth of fridges, microwaves, kettles," Mr Moss said.
"All that stuff was under our sheds last night and it all went under."
Mr Moss is not sure whether he will rebuild.
"It's a lot of money and a lot of pressure," he said.
"No income in the CBD at the moment — everyone has lost their businesses. It's pretty sad."
Scare for caravan park residents
It was an anxious night for residents at a caravan park south of Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast.
This time a year ago the Brigadoon Caravan Park at North Haven was engulfed by major flooding and residents were anxiously checking water levels as heavy rain fell through the night.
Brigadoon Caravan Park manager Glenn Stevenson says parts of the park were inundated at high tide this morning and people holidaying were evacuated.
"We didn't have too many guests in caravans in the park," he said.
"We got them out precautionary-wise, but it was nowhere near as bad as last time."
Resident Keith Diamond said he moved belongings up high just in case.
"There were quite a few people walking around here last night, checking things out and looking at the causeways," he said.
"Last year we couldn't get out of here because it was completely all covered over, so we had to walk around like ducks paddling and sit on tables waiting to be rescued."
Singleton residents Anthony and Cecily McCarten were among those who were evacuated.
"It just wouldn't stop raining," Mr McCarten said.
The SES has started giving the all-clear for people in part many parts of the North Coast, but floodwaters continue to slowly rise in areas like Coraki and Woodburn.
It will be another day or two before those residents will be able to assess the damage.
