An Anglican and Australian nonprofit has detailed the sort of assistance it thinks would be helpful in the aftermath of epic flooding in Brisbane.
Spiritus writes:
Today, the Red Cross are setting up 6 recovery centres in flood affected areas where Centre link and Department of Communities Personnel will be based to ensure affected people are accessing the right financial, emotional and personal support. The locations of these recovery centres are yet to be confirmed.
The following is a summary of the areas where the Red Cross are currently seeking assistance as well as some criteria associated with the level of support required:
1. Support required to sit with people in the evacuation centres and 6 identified recovery centres to assist with filling in forms for Centrelink and registering support needs with the Department of Communities.
Criteria: Sound written and Oral Skills; Emotional Robustness
: Sound written and Oral Skills; Emotional Robustness
2. Working Bees: Support required for door-to-door outreach in flood affected areas to ensure people are supported and to ensure that community members are not living isolated without food, water, access to essential services. We are also looking to identify those people who may not have their normal carer supports available due to carers being affected by the floods – it is essential that we identify these at risk community members and ensure that appropriate services and supports are put in place.
Criteria: Physical fitness, Emotional Robustness and ability to respond to crisis situations in a calm and effective way
: Physical fitness, Emotional Robustness and ability to respond to crisis situations in a calm and effective way
3. Team Leader/Coordination Support: Support required to coordinate people accessing evacuation centres, recovery centres and volunteers working in the community door knocking.
Criteria: Human, Financial or Operational Management experience with an ability to coordinate and direct people as required.
Process for Logging Interest:
We trust that there will be a huge show of support for this effort and as such would ask that you please log your interest, preference for working in one of the 3 key areas (in line with criteria) and that you please log this with Katie Foote kfoote@spiritus.org.au 3421 1571 or Margaret Nicholas mnicholas@spiritus.org.au 3421 2818 before 3pm today if possible.
In order to enable you to be part of this Red Cross effort, for those that have the approval of their Manager to provide support within the hours of their normal employment, Spiritus and the Diocese will ensure you are paid for this time as per your usual working day. In many instances, people will however be wanting to volunteer their time to do their bit for the community over the weekend and afterhours and this of course is encouraged.
On behalf of Spiritus and the Executive Director, we applaude the efforts of all staff, volunteers and parish partners to date and look forward to working with you to support our community through this difficult time. I thank-you in advance also for your wonderful support of this vital community response effort.
All this even as some volunteers have reportedly been redirected home while thousands and thousands have shown up and been put to work. It’s more mixed news for a story that seems to have written the book on the topic.
Since the flooding began in November, 26 people have died in Queensland. Another 28 are still reported as missing, many of whom vanished after a series of flash floods that tore through communities west of Brisbane on Monday.
Heavy rain has also led to flooding in parts of Queensland’s east coast, and more evacuations have taken place in the southern state of Victoria, which is the most densely populated area in the country.
The economic toll is also rising, as coal mining companies struggle to reach production quotas. Widespread crop destruction in Queensland could also result in higher global food prices.