Rochester's resiliency on show as recovery efforts expected to last months

Houses have been cleared out and insurance claims submitted, but people are still dealing with the fact they don't have anywhere to live. Some businesses have only just started to re-open their doors.

Rochester Business Network president Glenda Nichol said people were "hitting rock bottom" with the realisation of the work needed to be done.

"[People] were running on adrenaline with the cleaning up," she said.

"Ninety per cent of people had water through their house, most businesses had water go through as well.

"Your home is your safe haven, and their belongings have gone to the tip. They're now either displaced or living in a place that has the plaster ripped out, they're on a mattress. They're camping in a house with no possessions."

Ms Nichol has been crucial to the town's response, helping people access flood relief payments and lobbying state and federal governments for funding.

She said the best way for people outside of Rochester to help would be to visit the town, as businesses continue to open, and spend money.

"When we get up and running in a few weeks, it would be wonderful if people could come to town and do some shopping, look at our artworks and the wonderful things we have," she said. "Our silos didn't get flooded.

"If they come for a drive and buy some fuel, have lunch and go home; it's what we need."

Another local legend, Rochester Community House co-ordinator Amanda Logie, has been directly involved in setting up donation hubs and sites for people to access services.

She said the entire community was devastated and reaching out for all kinds of support, ranging from insurance and banking help to mental health support.

"Services are (physcially) here which is great," Ms Logie said.

"Our NBN has been down all over town so they're not able to access things by themselves where they had in the past."

Support from all levels of government has been well received, however the town is overrun with donations of clothes, linen and food.

"We physically don't have anywhere to store anything," Ms Logie said. "We've got no businesses or storage places to store anything. People don't have houses to store anything or live in."

Anyone wanting to help can instead make a donation into the Rochester Community House flood recovery account, where 100 per cent of proceeds go to helping residents. The account partners with Kyabram Learning Centre to provide tax deductible receipts for larger donations.

The account details for the account are: account number 1 9754 8621 and BSB 633-000.

Donations of insect repellent and packing boxes however would be put to good use, Ms Logie said.

Rochester school students are seeing out the rest of the school year at Bendigo Senior Secondary College, however Ms Logie said an alternative option to putting kids on an hour bus ride to and from school may be explored.

A relief centre has been established at the Elmore Field Days centre, and at time of writing there are around 40 people staying there, with "well over" 100 referrals made.

"I've been out there, it is absolutely amazing and to actually have the idea and then it come to fruition has been incredible," Ms Logie said.

While the mood is sombre and the toll of devastation still being tallied, the resilience of Rochester and the efforts of people like Ms Nichol and Ms Logie is the key to the town's recovery.

"For a community-driven and community-led relief and response, it's been sensational," Ms Logie said.

"We know our community, we're embedded in it and we've got the trust. That's been a really important step."

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