Salvos bring relief as flood crisis continues in NSW and ACT
Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) teams have been working around the clock over the past week as parts of south-east Australia experience their worst flooding in more than 150 years.
Southern regions in the state of NSW have been hardest hit, with SAES team working to assist affected residents in many cities and towns including Wagga Wagga, Leeton, Forbes,West Wyalong, Cooma, Cowra, Goulburn and Bega.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes as river levels peak at more than 10 metres in many of these locations after a week of heavy rain. Complicating the flood crisis is huge volumes of water flowing south along already swollen river systems after significant flooding in the north of NSW last month.
In Wagga Wagga, SAES teams supported by volunteers have been manning a number of evacuation centres, providing meals, refreshments and a place to rest for displaced residents. They are also helping to feed emergency services personnel. Hundreds of people have received assistance at these centres.
Wagga Wagga Corps Officer Lieutenant Tammy Shelley says the community support has been incredible.
“We have people constantly dropping off food and blankets and pillows for people in the evacuation centre,” she said. “Coca Cola dropped off a load of bottled water today. It’s great to see the community looking out for each other.”
Attention is now turning to Leeton and Forbes, which are bracing for inundation. “We have local Salvation Army people in Leeton and also on standby in Forbes and the surrounding area where water is expected to peak in the next couple of days,” said the Army’s South NSWand ACT Division SAES Coordinator Bruce Smith.
In West Wyalong, Salvation Army Rural Chaplains for Southern NSW, Les and Noelene Barass, have been providing meals and support to dozens of residents at the evacuation centre there.
The couple says the big challenge will come when the floodwaters recede and people begin to deal with the emotional impact of trying to rebuild shattered lives.
“In the area of Humbug Creek, I already know of one farmer who has lost almost all his flock and another on The Bland [Shire] who’s lost around 13, 000 sheep in this recent flood,” said Les.
“These are farmers who have spent the last few years recovering from almost 10 years of drought - they’ve lost their livelihood and now they are completely isolated in their homes by water.”
The Salvation Army also helped serve hundreds of people at evacuation centres in Cooma, Goulburn, and Bega, which were among the areas to bear the early brunt of the flood crisis.
“Our teams across the south of the state have done excellent work and where it’s needed, it is still continuing,” said Bruce Smith.
“All SAES teams will remain on alert until flood warnings across the state are lifted.”
Report by Scott Simpson
Comments
@Seren Mcleod : Dear Seren, could you please tell us what part of Australia you are in? We can organise some help from a flood relief hub or the local corps of that area.
@Seren Mcleod : Dear Seren, could you please let us know what part of the country you are in? We can then organise help from either a flood disaster hub or from the local corps in that area.