Many Coffs Harbour residents are still waiting for repairs a year after a freak hailstorm hit the New South Wales Mid North Coast city.
Tarps remain on roofs and dimpled cars are a common sight.
In a year that has seen NSW residents suffer extensive damage to their property, it's a wake up call on how long the road to recovery might be.
The Coffs Harbour hail storm unloaded masses of golf ball sized hail on the suburbs of Sawtell. Toormina and Boambee East, sparking 800 calls to the SES in a matter of hours.
"It was … pretty scary," Satwell resident Fiona Harris said.
"The sky — you've never seen it so black."
'Still living out of a suitcase'
Ms Harris said there was immediate fear the night the storm hit.
"To come home and see a foot of hail that looked like snow, on the coast, just didn't seem real," she said.
Ms Harris has been locked in a dispute with her insurer ever since and is still waiting to be able to move back into her home.
"I've been in temporary accommodation the whole time," she said.
"I'm still living out of a suitcase.
"My health's going downhill due to the continual stress."
Ms Harris has moved 11 times in the year since the storm hit.
Tradies diverted by disaster
Toormina retiree Janeece Maher said almost no repair work had been done on her home.
She needs a new roof, floor coverings and parts of walls replaced.
Ms Maher's roof is still fully covered by tarp.
"Nothing has been completed — nothing has been even started," she said.
"I really think 12 months is more than long enough to have things settled."
Ms Maher said most tradespeople she called were booked out for weeks, if not months.
"In the last week I've made eight phone calls – some were carpenters, some were painters – to get advice on whether I should accept a cash payment," she said.
"Some said they would call in [for a quote], others have said they've just got so much work … they can't even fit it in."
An Insurance Council of Australia spokesperson told the ABC the shortage of workers and building supplies had contributed to delays in claims being processed.
They said COVID-19 restrictions and other severe weather events had not helped.
Housing Industry Association Coffs Harbour branch manager Daniel Pleaner said there was a shortage of tradespeople in the region prior to the storm.
He said many had left to assist with other disasters.
"A lot of trades have actually ended up going up to Lismore to help out with their [flood damage] up there, which has contributed to a lag in repair [work] in Coffs Harbour," he said.
'Putting a puzzle back together'
The Toormina Gardens shopping centre was dealt the very worst of the storm, with hail causing the roof to collapse, and still not fully repaired.
Centre manager Hattie Watson said the building flooded for days.
"We had the subsequent water that just kept flooding through and through because the ice kept melting, that saturation kept occurring."
A year on, repairs are close to being complete and most stores have resumed trading.
"It's … like putting a puzzle back together," Ms Watson said.
"You have to get the right pieces in first.
"We can definitely see light at the end of the tunnel now."
