The 2022 Victorian floods were the most significant flooding event since 2010–11, due to its extent, duration, and complexity. All 10 LGAs covered by Women’s Health Loddon Mallee became eligible for Australian floods disaster payments in 2022, collectively making up a third of LGAs affected by the 2022 floods across Victoria. The impacts of disasters on affected individuals and communities can be profound, long lasting and life changing, and recovery is a long-term, multilayered social and developmental process that is more than simply the replacement of what has been destroyed and the rehabilitation of those affected. Women, in particular rural women experience these impacts disproportionately and are often excluded from decision-making. The aim of this project was to centre women’s voices in climate and emergency discussions, providing space for women to tell their stories and for their voices to be heard to build a strength-based approach to disaster recovery. This study used a qualitative design with a narrative approach including 5 semi-structured focus group discussions with 49 women across the Loddon Mallee region and a qualitative open-ended survey. Using a thematic approach four key themes emerged: gender roles, community strengths, impact of floods and community identified solutions. Key learnings include: 1. Women’s experiences during disasters are not homogenous and are influenced by a range of intersecting factors such as rurality, age, and disability and therefore there is a need for understanding individual differences. The concept of intersectionality is crucial in understanding these differences and experiences in disaster planning, response, and recovery. 2. Various factors, including previous flood experiences, ongoing environmental challenges, pandemic recovery, caregiving responsibilities, and personal disruptions, intersect to influence women’s sense of wellbeing. 3. The centring of rural women’s voices is key to informing future disaster research, policy, and practice.