Fifteen years on from the 2007 super storm, the flooding memories remain ever-present in Wallsend.
While much of the Hunter was affected in some way - most notably Nobbys Beach where the Pasha Bulker ran aground - the Wallsend CBD was severely inundated by intense rainfall which caused long-lasting destruction.
"The water was devastating," said Wallsend resident of 63 years Peter Herd. "West of probably where the old chemist was I don't think there would have been a business that wasn't affected.
"The impacts are felt because people every time we get a lot of rain people in Wallsend go 'oh God, not again'."
Callum Pull was only in primary school at the time of the Pasha Bulker storm, but the Newcastle Liberal Ward 4 councillor said flooding in the suburb was one of the biggest issues he had heard from speaking to residents and business owners since being elected last year.
Cr Pull acknowledged the loss of businesses, livelihoods, and homes on the 15 year anniversary of the June storm event in a motion to this month's Newcastle council meeting, as well as the need to work with Hunter Water and the NSW Government to help reduce the impact of future flood events.
The suburb's main street is located where a broad natural channel and floodplain merge into a narrow canal with adjacent commercial development on the floodplain.
Council, Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery and advocates have long appealed to the state government for flood mitigation measures and improved infrastructure to help combat the problem.
Cr Pull pointed out council had taken some action, including a flash flood alert service, construction of the Tyrrell Street bridge and designs and modelling for the Cowper, Boscawen and Nelson Street bridge upgrades.
"So in addition to what Council has already done, obviously, we need everyone on board to mitigate the impacts of any future flood event, including Hunter Water and the state government," he said.
"We need all the relevant stakeholders to pitch in to get this done.
"There's no point having a Mexican standoff with the other stakeholders, we need everyone to come to the table."
Labor's Deahnna Richardson, another Ward 4 councillor, moved an amendment to write to both the NSW government and opposition again seeking funding to widen the canal. The council has previously applied for money for flood mitigation works in Wallsend to no avail.
Fellow Labor Ward 4 councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk said major floods were a one in 10 to 15 year risk in Wallsend.
"As a resident of Wallsend for nearly a decade, I've watched the impacts of these major storm events in our suburb in 2015, again in 2016 in 2020 and 2021," she said. "Each time we drive home we see the waters rise at that critical pinch point at the corner of Federal Park, where many, many channels converge into one inadequate stormwater drain that just does not have the capacity to accommodate the floodwaters flowing upstream."
Mr Herd said widening the canal would definitely help the water drain better, but believed over-development on floodplains in the suburb was also a contributing factor.
