How You Can Help Flood-Affected Communities In NSW And QLD
Communities across the east coast have been devastated, so here's how you make a meaningful contribution.
The recent floods across New South Wales and Queensland have devastated entire towns and communities. As the SES and the military continue to mobilise in response to the crisis, communities are still mostly relying on the efforts of local volunteers for support.
So here is a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the areas that have been hardest hit by the floods, and some of the ways you can support them. This list will be updated as the flood relief efforts continue.
National Donation Links
Wires Emergency Flood Response
Animal rescue services have been overwhelmed by the volume of calls seeking help for displaced and waterlogged native animals. Australia’s largest wildlife rescue operation, WIRES, is seeking donations to ensure its 24/7 critical response teams can stay operational throughout the NSW and QLD flood crisis.
Local State Emergency Services have been at the forefront of the East Coast floods, with services in Lismore receiving 374 calls for help in just half an hour. Both Queensland and New South Wales branches of the SES are seeking donations to help bolster their rescue operations.
Lismore
Lismore has been shattered by recent floodwaters, breaking historic water levels for the area and eclipsing the last major flood of 2017. With over two thousand people seeking shelter in evacuation centres, here’s how you can help the community recover.
Bundjalung Community Flood Relief – by Koori Mail
The Koori Mail, owned and operated since 1991 in a historic partnership between five Indigenous communities, suffered damaging flooding at their headquarters. The Bundjalung community flood relief was established as a means to support the affected communities of Lismore, Cabbage Tree Island, Casino, Coraki, and Maclean that were completely cut off by floodwaters.
Manager of the Koori Mail, Naomi Moran told Junkee of the difficulty rescues services have encountered getting supplies to cut off communities. “We’re getting food drops out via boat or walking through water, there’s still a need to supply food and water and other necessary items to our Indigenous communities on the outskirts of Lismore,” Moran told Junkee.
Donations for the Bundjalung Community Flood Relief will go to ensuring critical supplies reach Indigenous communities and the repairs for Koori Mail headquarters.
Support Aboriginal Families Lismore
Central Lismore Aboriginal communities have also been devastated by the historic flooding, with consecutive flood disasters that Lismore has experienced in the last fifty years negatively impacting key Aboriginal communities. This GoFundMe is raising money to support thirty-five Indigenous families who have lost everything, with funds contributing to the rebuild and restoration of their homes.
Lismore Floods Good Night Sleep Appeal
Sleep deprivation currently plagues the efforts of volunteer and federal rescue efforts, with current a shortage of hygienic and clean bedding in Lismore. This donation link provides new and reconditioned mattresses to those that have lost their homes in the floods.
Tweed Valley
Help Murwillumbah and the Tweed Valley Region
The northern New South Wales town of Murwillumbah was turned into an island by last week’s flooding, with residents forced to ration food and petrol after being completely cut off from rescue efforts. With much of the community still inaccessible due to damage to road infrastructure, locals are raising money for earthmovers along with other basic supplies to immediately help those in the Tweed Valley community.
Northern Rivers
Much of the Northern Rivers is still in the midst of an emergency, with scattered phone reception, burst sewer mains and severe landslides all adding to the issues that the community currently faces.
The Mullumbimby District Neighbourhood Centre
The Mullum Community centre has been a vital hub in organising and directing volunteers amidst the rescue and recovery efforts of the last week. Donations to the neighbourhood centre will go towards locals who have been affected by the floods.
Revive The Northern Rivers is taking donations to help rescue and recovery efforts, from ecological landcare to assisting communities via helicopter access and cleaning supplies
The creative community that calls the Northern Rivers home has been gutted by the recent disaster, with artists losing business centres and homes in the floods. Historic creative hubs such as Lismore Art Gallery have also suffered extensive damage, which are vital to emerging local artists. This fund seeks to specifically help support and rebuild the cultural sector in the Northern Rivers area.
Screenworks Industry Recovery Fund
The vibrant television and film sector in northern New South Wales is also in crisis after the recent floods. Screenworks Australia, a body that champions local rural talent and crew, is launching a fund to help the screen sector recover in the Northern Rivers.
Queensland
Described as the ‘pantry to the charity sector in Queensland’, food bank are instrumental in ensuring that displaced locals in Queensland have access to healthy meals throughout the crisis.
Orange Sky have been providing showers and laundry services for those impacted by flood events in Queensland, and have provided over 21,805 laundry loads and 7,678 showers since the crisis began.
Photo Credit: G Regueira/Korra Ryan Twitter