An inquest into the death of an elderly Tasmanian woman in the 2016 Latrobe floods has heard her husband tried desperately to get back to her after fetching her a blanket, but his way was blocked and she drowned alone.
Mary Allford, 75, was one of three people who died in the floods that swept Tasmania's north, north-west and centre seven years ago.
The flooding in June affected 19 local government areas and was the worst the state had seen in decades, with 130 properties and 39 bridges damaged and 48 roads left in need of repair.
The inquest heard Ms Allford and her husband Noel went to bed unaware of the danger on the night of June 5.
When they woke in the night the water was rising.
At one point Ms Allford was cold, standing in waist deep water, so her husband went upstairs to get her a blanket but when he tried to return his way was blocked, the inquest heard.
'Dad was never the same again'
Noel Allford was later winched to safety from the roof of his home by helicopter but his wife could not walk more than 15 metres unassisted and could not climb the stairs in the couple's two storey home even if the way had been clear.
The inquest, which is running for two weeks, was read an affidavit from the couple's son, Mark.
"I've have spent thousands of hours wondering how terrible mum's final hours would've been, not knowing what was happening or if she would be rescued.
"Dad passed away 16 months ago and he never recovered from the events of that night ... he was never the same again".
Mark Allford said rain and running water continued to scare his father long after the event and he told him the days "were OK, but the nights went forever".
The inquest heard there were no evacuation warnings prior to the flood, and Noel and Mary Allford went to bed on the evening of the flooding with no concern for their safety.
Desperate calls to SES, police
"There was a road between their home and the Mersey River which had broken its banks previously, but the water had not come anywhere near the property," Mark Allford said.
He told the inquest his father called him later that night, saying he was standing in "six inches of water", and he drove over there intending to rescue his parents but one of the roads was completely covered with floodwater.
Mark Allford said he called police just before 1am and they told him they would get someone to his parents' house.
At the same time, the couple's daughter-in-law was calling the State Emergency Service but was told the SES did not have rescue capabilities and the family would need to evacuate Mr and Ms Allford themselves.
Michelle Allford said she was told the rescue helicopter could not be sent from Hobart because of the weather, so she tried to hire a Latrobe-based private helicopter to get her in-laws, but that did not eventuate.
Inquest hears of lack of warning
The inquest was told the Bureau of Meteorology flood warnings were focused on the state's north and east rather than the north-west region, which meant the SES did not believe the situation needed to be managed.
Former Tasmanian SES acting director Nick Wilson said the main focus of the volunteer-based organisation days leading up to the flood event was the search for missing woman Angela Jeffrey at Bakers Beach.
"In hindsight what we now know of the flood threat in Latrobe, and it could only have added value if we had an incident management team set up.
"However I can't be convinced it would've led to a different outcome, as much as I wish that to be the case" .
Changes made to SES planning
Counsel assisting the coroner Letitia Fox asked Mr Wilson whether he remembered receiving a phone call from an employee who said she'd told former SES regional manager Wayne Richards that Latrobe needed to be evacuated, but he wouldn't listen.
Mr Wilson responded that he had not recollection of that conversation on June, 5, only that the member of staff had concerns about Mr Richards and her own workload.
The inquest heard at the time, SES regional managers had a lot of autonomy in dealing with flood events but structural changes had been made which meant there was now much more oversight.
Mr Wilson said he wanted to publicly and sincerely recognise what the loss of Ms Allford meant to her family and paid tribute to the SES responders on duty that night.
The inquest continues.
