Last week's flood event in Broke devastated the town not just by the excessive amount of water, but the sheer force of it, according to resident Mick McCardle.
Dozens of homes were severely damaged, along with countless more sheds and properties as the intensity of the floodwater swept through the village and surrounds.
"It's phenomenal how much damage there is," Mr McCardle said.
"We only had about 200mm of rain over the four days, but the way it was coming down the brook just caught everyone off guard.
"There's a lot of subsidence. Piers under people's houses are gone, fencing is down.
"Sinkholes are one of our biggest problems. We've had sinkholes swallow 20 foot containers and cars.
"I've never seen anything like it."
He said the main focus for the past week has been moving water out of the town and making homes safe again. Septic tanks have flooded, adding another layer to the problem.
"It's been pretty full on," Mr McCardle said.
"We'd already had so much rain. We'd go a couple of weeks and have 15mm of rain and it felt like 100. It just sat there so long."
All these factors made the event "a hell of a lot worse" than 2007 and 2015.
While he said there wasn't anyone he'd spoken to who was around for 1955 - which is commonly considered the worst flood ever - he thinks this may have eclipsed it.
"We're not talking a 1 in 50 year or 1 in 100 year flood, this was a natural disaster we've never seen before," the Broke local said.
Like other flood-prone areas, the history has made it hard for many residents to obtain flood insurance, and those who have it are facing at least weeks of waiting for assessment, Mr McCardle said.
"I fear we've got some houses where there's no insurance, the people are going to just have to walk away and it will become a ghost town," he said.
"I think we'll get to a period in a couple of weeks when most of the vehicles are gone, and while that will be good, that's where we might find people go into a dark place."
Hunter MP Dan Repacholi has spoken to residents affected and seen the devastation it has caused.
"It is sad that some people are now battling with insurance companies who are refusing payments or are telling people it will be weeks, if not a month or more before an assessor can get out on site," he said.
"These people have lost everything and need to get on with rebuilding their lives and cannot afford to wait that long.
"Anyone who is having an issue with their insurance company should call me or my office immediately to discuss. This is an added stress that they don't need."
But Mr McCardle couldn't offer enough praise for the community's resilience.
He said Services Australia and Resilience NSW had actually been on the ground helping people obtain support, along with mining companies and council.
"People are getting on with the job and getting the houses sorted as best as they can," he said.
Support has been set up for the community through Givit.org, where people can donate items, money, time and vouchers, and there is also a GoFundMe page "Broke Region Flood Relief" which people can donate to.
