When the weather bureau predicted an East Coast Low was going to strike last April, few people could have guessed that Maitland was about to experience arguably the most devastating weather event since the infamous 1955 flood.

Then, on the morning of April 21, the rain began to hammer the region and showed no signs of letting up.

About 435 millimetres of rain fell in Maitland in a 24-hour period, as 135km/h winds lashed the Lower Hunter. 

The storm damaged more than 250 homes across the region and left an estimated damage bill in excess of $800 million.

Lives were lost, major roads were cut and entire communities were isolated for more than a week as the region went under the floodwater.

The state government would later declare Maitland and Dungog, which were considered the worst affected locations, official natural disaster zones in the days after the rain finally stopped.

As with any widespread calamity, many stories of bravery, resilience, tragedy and hardship emerged last April.

Some stories have surfaced in the months since.

One of the most gripping accounts to come from the disaster belongs to Peter Manuel, a Nelson Plains farmer who clung to a tree as the floodwater rapidly rose around him.

He urged his 15-year-old son Michael to leave him and save himself, but the teenager refused and heroically swam his father one kilometre to safety.

While the storm left some people stranded for days, the Lloyd-Jones family has only managed to move back into their Maitland home this week.

Meanwhile, in Weston, the Ashpole family say they won’t move home until they are satisfied that flood issues at Swamp Creek have been addressed, after they suffered through multiple inundations in recent years.

It’s clear that the storm that hit last April has had a lasting impact on the Lower Hunter.

And for some people, it signaled the start of a difficult time that hasn’t ended yet.

So as we mark a year since the super storm this week, it’s a time to look after each other and for the region to reflect on the tragedy and hardship that brave and resilient Hunter residents have faced.