NAB’s Lismore branch has reopened today two months after severe flooding caused extensive damage within the town.
The building’s slab was structurally damaged and much of the interior furnishings destroyed when the branch was inundated by up to one metre of water in late March.
Since early April, the local NAB team has continued to serve customers by working in a temporary Bank in a Box which was transported 1,600km from Melbourne on the back of a truck.
Branch Manager Jessica Day said a lot of hard work had gone in to getting the branch back up and running, while ensuring the community still had access to banking services.
“On behalf of the entire Lismore team we would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding throughout the whole process,” Ms Day said.
“Working out of the pop-up branch meant we were able to continue serving customers.
“The impact of the flood has been felt by everyone and it’s certainly bound the community and the team closer together, which I guess has been the silver lining.”
“Our new branch has a great look and feel and we’re excited to be back in the building.”
Describing the damage to the Lismore branch in March, NAB’s head of Network Property Lloyd Burke said the damage was too severe to simply clean up and reopen.
“It took us a few days to be able to access inside the branch to properly assess the damage,” Mr Burke said.
“We could see through the security cameras how far the water had spread. Because the space had been entirely submerged we had to bring in structural engineers to ensure that the building was safe to start repairing and specialists to monitor air quality.
“Anything below table height was destroyed: walls, technology such as cabling points, the ATM, flooring, teller counters and furniture.
“The repair work was also an opportunity to make improvements, like the addition of new sales desks and two SmartATMs.”
Our NAB Assist team is still available to help any flood-affected customers in need. To find out more call 1800 701 599, or visit us here.
