Episode Eight: Departing Waters (EHO Knows)
Truth Hurts
Made as a companion to Episode Eight of the EHO Knows podcast. Listen today:
In the aftermath of disaster, people need hope. But hope doesn’t always come in the form of comforting words. Sometimes, the most compassionate thing you can offer is the truth, even when it hurts.
Episode 8 of EHO Knows offers an emotionally complex story which may remind listeners of Episode Two: Thrown in the Deep end. Environmental Health Officer Andrew Waters recounts his time in Fitzroy Crossing after catastrophic floods left the town and surrounding communities devastated. His job was to help determine whether it was safe for residents to return to their homes.
Stop Sugar-coating
Imagine standing in a recently cleaned home. The floors are spotless, the shelves scrubbed, the mud cleared. A family has poured time, love, and effort into making it liveable again, especially for a disabled family member desperate to return to familiar ground. Then imagine being the person who has to tell them they still can’t go home. That was Andrew’s reality. Despite the surface-level cleanliness, water had saturated the walls. The power was off. The risk of mold was high. Assistive technologies wouldn’t function. And so he said what no one wanted to hear: “You can’t move back in yet.”
It would have been easier to soften the blow. To say, “Maybe soon,” or “Let’s see how it goes.” But those words, meant to comfort, could have placed that person at risk.
No Suprises
When Andrew visited a small outstation community outside of Fitzroy Crossing, he travelled in with evacuated residents who were returning to see their homes for the first time. He didn’t know exactly what they’d find but he knew it wouldn’t be good. And so he chose to tell them. He described the likely damage, the mud, the destruction. That way, when the doors opened, they weren’t blindsided. Sometimes, the kindest thing you can do is set expectations early, before reality does it for you.
The Role of EHOs
Environmental health work is full of this delicate balance. Between empathy and enforcement. Between reassurance and reality. Between acting as a helping hand and being the bearer of bad news. It’s a line EHOs walk every day but especially in disaster recovery, where the stakes are high and emotions even higher.
Episode 8: Departing Waters
In this episode of EHO Knows, Shane sits down with Andrew Waters for his second episode on flood but this time taking a look at the aftermath. Listen in for a fascinating conversation about arriving at Fitzroy Crossing in the wake of devastating floods. This episode goes beyond immediate disaster response, highlighting the crucial role Environmental Health Officers play in helping communities not just survive a disaster but recover and rebuild safely afterwards.
Andrew shares what it was like to be on the ground; the challenges, the heartbreak, and the resilience of the people impacted. From the logistical hurdles to the moments of unexpected joy and hope. Shane and Andrew explore the full emotional spectrum of disaster recovery and how EHOs can make a difference long after the floodwaters recede. This episode is a reminder that the work doesn’t stop once the emergency is over.
