Highlights
- Rashpal Singh Heyer and his partner run a steel and aluminium fabrication business in Brisbane
- Mr Heyer says this is the second time in 11 years his business has suffered a loss of around $1 million, following the 2011 floods
- "We may have lost a lot financially, but not our spirits. We hope to bounce back soon," says Mr Heyer
With parts of Queensland witnessing disastrous floods, many business owners face damage bills well into the millions of dollars.
One of those is Rashpal Singh Heyer who, along with his partner Satpal Singh Kooner, runs a steel and aluminium fabrication business in Rocklea, one of the worst flood-hit suburbs of Brisbane.
In an interview with SBS Punjabi, he said his company, Singh Fabrications, was one of many in the area to have been adversely affected by the heavy and sustained downpours.
He explained that due to the nature and makeup of their business, which fulfills large school contracts that run over several years, they have encountered considerable damages to stock and machinery.
“We are one of six companies in Brisbane that have been serving some of the big fencing contracts for schools for the last 15 years, so we keep our stock levels high to meet the demands of the jobs.”
Rashpal Singh Heyer and his business partner Satpal Singh Kooner remain hopeful to keep their business afloat Source: Supplied by Mr Heyer
Among the damaged goods and equipment, he said, were 90 tonnes of aluminium, over 350 tonnes of steel, welding machinery, forklifts and trucks.
"Now everything is covered in thick layers of mud, leaving us with hundreds and thousands of dollars in losses.”
Mr Heyer, who has been operating the business for more than 31 years, said his business suffered similar losses during the 2011 floods, which at the time were described as a 'once in a hundred years' occurrence.
Singh Fabrication is located in Rocklea, one of the worst flood-hit suburbs of Brisbane. Source: Supplied by Mr Heyer
We’ve been affected by the floods for the second time in the span of just 11 years. In 2011, we had losses of nearly $1.2 million due to damages caused by the floodwaters.
“We are still trying to evaluate the damages from these floods but it could take a few weeks before we can calculate the actual figure as there's a lot of cleaning that needs to be done.”
Over 90 tonnes of aluminium, 350 tonnes of steel and various machinery are covered in layers of mud due to the floods. Source: Supplied by Mr Heyer
Is it covered by the business insurance?
Mr Heyer said that while damages in most scenarios are covered by insurance companies, damages incurred by natural disasters like floods are not.
“I don't think any of the insurance companies cover any kind of flood damage, especially in the Rocklea area.”
Despite seeing his two factory buildings underwater for the second time in just over a decade, Mr Heyer said he remains hopeful and is doing all he can to keep the business afloat.
The Singh Fabrications team is putting their efforts into cleaning with the hope of being back in business in a few weeks. Source: Supplied by Mr Heyer
"I won't deny that the situation is a bit stressful, but we are still keeping our hopes high to come out of this situation."
We may have lost a lot financially, but not our spirits. We hope to bounce back soon.
“We're putting all our efforts into finishing the cleaning of both our factories and clearing off all the muddy layers and hoping to be back in business at full strength in three to four weeks' time.”
Click on the player at the top of the page to listen to Mr Heyer's full interview in Punjabi.
