What seemed unthinkable six months ago has become a reality from which Darryl and Mala Beames cannot escape.
"We've been living with the rats, and the cold, the only place that's warm is in your bed," Mr Beames says.
The Gympie couple and their two young children sleep in rooms without walls and shower in their garden.
Everything they own has been donated.
Six months on from record-breaking floods that swept through south-east Queensland, the Beames family are one of hundreds still living in limbo waiting for others to decide their future.
"It looks like the floods are gone, but for all the flood victims we're still living it every day," Mr Beames says.
"We're still waiting for the insurance, and we're basically waiting for the government to see what's going to happen."
The Beameses are among 1,316 Queensland home owners who have applied to raise their home above the flood height through the state government's $741-million Resilient Homes Fund.
Until the family hears back, there is no option but to continue living underneath the damaged home.
"They're saying it might take six to 18 months — there's no timeline on it," he says.
Slow recovery
Gympie bore the brunt of three major floods in five months, but February's was the biggest in almost 150 years, reaching 23 metres.
More than 500 homes were damaged and less than half have been repaired.
Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig admitted the recovery had been slow and said rebuilding could take more than two years.
"The damage that we've seen is region-wide and it's more than one event," he said.
A spokesperson for the Queensland government said the Resilient Homes Fund was a two-year program and work would be undertaken progressively over that period.
"More than 4,431 people had registered their interest in the Resilient Homes Fund program, with 4,070 eligible for assistance," the spokesperson said.
"This included 486 people who registered their interest in the voluntary buy-back scheme, 1,316 in the house-raising and 1,589 in the resilient rebuild, with 679 people being unsure."
'A pretty strong force'
Richard Plukaard refinanced his mortgage in order to pay $50,000 to raise his home above the February flood level.
His family has been staying with relatives, but they hope to be back living in their Gympie house by Christmas.
"I guess Mother Nature is a pretty strong force and you can't change it, so all we can try and do is make the house more resilient for the future," Mr Plukaard said.
The forecast of another wet summer has Maryborough local Rhonda Uren worried.
Water rose higher than her ceiling during two major floods in January and February.
Ms Uren lives in a rental property down the street and checks on her house every day, but says she cannot bring herself to move back in.
"Every time it rains, you're just on eggshells thinking it's going to flood," she said.
"It is a huge amount of stress.
"I've got to still maintain this property to keep it looking tidy, so that it doesn't look like it's all rundown or abandoned or anything, and then maintain a rental property."
Hundreds apply for buybacks
Ms Uren is one of 437 applicants who have registered for the government's voluntary buyback scheme, but she is concerned about how long the process is taking.
"I feel like we're still at square one when nothing's happening — we're just waiting," she said.
"It's like, come on, hurry up, because we know there are more floods coming and no-one wants to be in the same situation anymore."
So far, 90 home owners have been approved for the program across Brisbane, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast, Logan and the Fraser Coast.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said it would be the largest buyback of flood-affected homes in Australian history.
It is understood a further 16 properties on the Fraser Coast and 20 properties in the Gympie region may be considered, with valuations and follow-up meetings with residents commencing in early September.
Ms Uren said she hoped Maryborough would not be forgotten.
"We all feel like our lives are just on hold, and we can't move forward until we get this sorted," she said.
"I'm not just talking about me — there's other people around the area that are all waiting as well."
