Helping Communities Recover from Disasters

Red Cross recently held the successful Australia Unites Telethon, raising over $25 million to assist people impacted by the floods. None of the money raised from donations will be used for administration, Red Cross will be distributing 100% to the people who need support. Grants of $20,000 will be given to next of kin of those people who died, and a $500 relief grant per household will be given to help with basic needs such as food, clothing or personal items. The application process has been made as simple as possible, through the Red Cross website at redcross.org.au/grants, and people can also call 1800 733 276 for assistance.

Whilst giving people immediate cash assistance is an important part of the work of Red Cross, our Emergency Services Volunteers have also swung into action providing psychological support to help people recover from the trauma of their experiences. Disasters affect people in many different ways, some people discover untapped strengths and find new meaning in life from the experience; other people can become stuck in the acute shock stage and need immediate mental health support; and some people appear fine but suffer delayed reactions that can creep up unexpectedly. Most importantly, recovery is a long-term complex process that can be helped by the support of people who understand the psychological processes, know when it’s time to call in professional mental health services, and can walk beside those affected by disasters as “expert companions”. Most importantly, Red Cross Volunteers support individuals as well as their families and whole communities. Our goal is to ensure that rebuilding is community-led and focused on strengthening the resilience capacity of the community.

The local team of Red Cross Emergency Services Volunteers will be holding a community information session on Monday 28 March from 5.30 PM in the SDA Hall. The workshop will cover practical tools for helping individuals and communities recover from disasters. This includes understanding the impacts of disaster on different types of communities (geographic and non-geographic), the types of reactions people have to disasters and how Psychological First Aid helps, and the services and activities that Red Cross uses to rebuild the various forms of “capital” in a community. The primary focus of Red Cross Red Cross is to put people at the centre of our work and put recovery from the psychosocial impact of disaster as the basis for successful community recovery. The workshop will be useful for all people working with community groups including workplaces.

For more information contact Kate Lemerle, Red Cross Emergency Services Team Leader on 52112 or email bushtucka@iinet.net.au