Chris Mulherin is an Anglican minister who is running a youth program in Mallacoota. He recently spoke with Andrew Geoghegan on ABC News, and says it's a very sad time for the town.

"The mood in the town, it depends who you are. Fifty or 100 people have lost their homes completely, and obviously that is tragic for them and they are resigned to getting about with their cars, there was a lady in the op shop this morning, she had nothing and she was getting some clothes to get through the day.

"We are doing what we can. I have bumped into a number of people who have lost their homes. I spoke to one man who said he was a local and he said he has lost everything. Excuse me... It makes me choke up a bit. It is pretty sad. There are people like that all around the place who are trying to work out what they do next. For him, it was how he can get to Bairnsdale to family who will then get him to Melbourne where he has a daughter. So... This community are a bit... The locals are a bit resigned to it as well. They know these are possibilities. And then you have got all the tourists who are, in our case, not wanting to get in the way, but at the same time, people want to talk and there are no solutions for them except to just listen and hear their stories.