Brisbane woman Lee-Ann Handley bought her Rocklea home last year and has spent the last nine months renovating it.
Before she moved in, she did research to find out how the 2011 floods impacted her neighbourhood.
She never thought it was possible it would reach the levels it did this year.
Now she is faced with an extensive re-fitout with her options for government disaster relief funds limited.
"The water has come up over my gutters, so luckily on the inside it stopped about an inch and a half just before the ceiling height," Ms Handley said.
Ms Handley said flooding was so severe in her street that water was touching the front doors of neighbouring homes, which had been raised higher after the 2011 floods.
"I don't think anybody ever thought that the water was ever going to get to the extent that it did again — inside my house and many others," she said.
She said because she is a full-time-employed teacher she earns too much money to access many of the grants under the Commonwealth-state funded Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme.
She was able to receive the $1,000 Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and a $180 Salvation Army Voucher.
What flood relief grant payments can people access?
Three of the largest grants under the scheme are income tested.
Individuals who earn more than $51,398 per year and couples who earn more than $71,061, are not eligible for the Structural Assistance Grant, the Essential Households Contents Grant or the Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Grant.
Individuals with one child can earn up to $71,110 and still apply, while couples with one child can earn up to $88,111.
The threshold rises with each additional child.
The grants vary from about $4,000 up to around $15,000.
"I'm not saying 'give me all this money' I'm saying in terms of means testing, why is it not pro rata?" Ms Handley asked.
"So once you earn this much, they cut down that support appropriately based on people's incomes.
"There's a young couple [on the street]. She is a social worker and he's a trainee and they don't qualify either, so unless you're on a pension or in an extremely low socio-economic bracket, you don't even qualify for getting assistance to get power on."
Ms Handley said it was "gut wrenching" the effect the recovery process was having on her community.
'A nightmare trying to get further assistance'
Paul Harding's home in the Ipswich suburb of Goodna, west of Brisbane, was severely impacted by floodwaters which reached 1.5 metres inside his living area.
"That is in a high set house so it was about three-and-a-half metres up," Mr Harding said.
He and his son are now living in a caravan in the driveway of the home while he tries to make the house liveable again.
"I got my kayak from downstairs and helped the last people [on the street] move their documents and photos and stuff out," he said.
"It was an experience that I never want to go through again. We lost everything. Everything from chest height down has been gutted.
Mr Harding said he and his wife, as well as their son received the federal government disaster payment, totalling $2,400 between them — but had not yet had any luck with the joint-funded scheme.
"It's just been a nightmare trying to get any further assistance. I've been to the agency [community recovery centre] three times now and it keeps getting messed up," he said.
"I don't know anyone that's had it [the joint payment] go through properly, which has been rough on the street.
"Most of the houses here aren't insured because they couldn't afford $12,000-plus a year in insurance. I wasn't insured."
'Dumped on our own'
Mr Harding applied around 10 days ago but hasn't heard if he has been approved.
He said the National Australia Bank had given him a $1,000 disaster relief payment while his home loan provider gave him $2,000.
Other assistance had come through crowdfunding with the help of friends and neighbours.
There is only one working power point left in the street and the few residents that are still in their homes are all using it.
They are also sharing just two working toilets in private homes after portable toilets had been removed earlier this week.
"They came in hard about four days after everyone started doing stuff. They were here for about a week and now everything is gone.
"It just feels that in the last couple of days we have been dumped more or less on our own."
Today, the federal government announced a further $75 million would be given to Queensland to spend where it deemed most necessary.
On Friday, the federal government announced said it had paid $269 million in disaster payments to 331,469 Queenslanders since February 28.
Payments from the Personal Hardship Assistance Scheme are made by application through the government's Community Recovery Portal or in person drop-in community recovery hubs.
Applications for federal grants are made through Centrelink.
