NFPs Respond to Queensland Floods

As the flood situation in Queensland continues to deteriorate, Not for Profit organisations are calling on the public for support as they prepare to deal with the states worst floods in living memory.

Flood waters rushing through Toowoomba, January 10.  Flickr Image via Creative Commons: Some rights reserved by Kingbob86

The estimated scale of the damage is constantly being updated, however reports suggest that upwards of 40,000 homes may be affected by the floods. The role for the NFP sector will extend far beyond immediate flood relief and into the long term recovery of flood affected communities.

So far Australians have donated over $32 million to the Premiers Flood Relief Appeal, $10 million of which came through a Nine Network telethon. The New South Wales and Victorian Governments have each donated 1 million. Donations to the Premiers Appeal can be made at www.qld.gov.au/floods.

Volunteers

People interested in volunteering to assist in flood affected areas across Queensland can sign up on the Volunteering Queensland website or phone the toll free number 1800 994 100 to express their interest to participate in the lengthy recovery process.

Volunteering Qld CEO, Jelenko Dragisic, praised the Australian public for their offers of assistance saying they make a difference during this long-term recovery process.

Dragisic says they encourage those who want to assist to register with the Community Response to Extreme Weather (CREW) program now and be prepared to help later.

He says the recovery efforts will be extensive and volunteer support will be required in many different capacities during the weeks and months to come.

Volunteering Qld says it maintains continual contact with key disaster management agencies and will notify registered volunteers as new opportunities become available via the CREW section of their website.

Dealing with the trauma

Major Neil Dickson from The Salvation Army says that many people may be experiencing severe emotional trauma and distress during this extremely difficult time.

Major Dickson says the flash flooding in Toowoomba happened so quickly and now many people are trying to come to terms with the grief of having lost loved ones or the anguish of not knowing where their families and friends are.

Major Dickson urges anyone that’s dealing with any kind of emotional issues, no matter how big or small, to contact the Salvo Care line on 1300 36 36 22.

The Salvation Army, in conjunction with other agencies, continues to assist the emergency relief and recovery effort right throughout the QLD flood zone.

Lifeline Community Recovery Officers have been providing psychological and emotional support to individuals and families in Queensland’s flood-ravaged communities since the floods began over the Christmas and New Year period.

The Lifeline Community Recovery Program aims to make an immediate impact on the trauma and stress experienced by communities, as well as working towards longer term recovery.

Lifeline is calling for financial donations to support its Community Recovery Program, which can be made by visiting http://floodappeal.gofundraise.com.au or by calling 07 3250 1934. For more information visit http://www.lccq.org.au/community-recovery

How to help:

Donations to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal can be made online at www.qld.gov.au/floods.

Donations to The Salvation Army’s Flood Appeal can be made by calling 13 SALVOS (137258), by going online to www.salvos.org.au, or by visiting any Woolworths or Big W store nationally. Donations are tax deductible.

Donations can also be made in person at any branch of the Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac, ANZ, BOQ, Suncorp, St George Bank or BankSA, or at Coles supermarkets.

Flood Updates:

Keep up to date with all the flood information via the ABC’s Emergency Portal – or the Queensland Government’s Flood website.