What You Can Do to Help With the Flood Crisis

The news has been feeling pretty heavy lately.

On top of the global pandemic we still find ourselves in the midst of, there’s been the invasion of Ukraine and flash flooding across Queensland and New South Wales causing devastating damage.

Intense storms and rainfall that started last week have cost the lives of more than a dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.

Across the two states, the SES has carried out thousands of rescues and responded to even more requests for assistance. And the clean up has barely even begun yet.

While the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) cancelled severe weather warnings for Sydney yesterday after the expected heavy rain missed the city, dangerous weather is still predicted to continue in parts of south-east Queensland and flood warnings are still in place.

If you're feeling a little hopeless and want to make a difference, there are plenty of ways to help. These are just a few suggestions and they aren't the only ones but you can do what works for you. Or, if you're feeling too overwhelmed or aren't in a position to do anything at all – that's okay too!

Donate money to the Red Cross Floods Appeal.

It can sometimes be hard to know where to donate to ensure your money goes to the right place. But if you’re looking to provide financial assistance to those communities impacted by the floods, it's best to donate directly to an organisation or charity that can help victims, like the Red Cross Floods Appeal. 

Money raised by the Australian Red Cross will help provide vital humanitarian aid to people in need as soon as possible – specifically by enabling staff and volunteers to help with evacuation and relief centres and support communities with their recovery. Donations can be made on their website.

The Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul Society have also set up appeals to raise money for flood recovery efforts.

Donate goods to the GIVIT Storms and Flooding Appeal.

The organisation, GIVIT, is working with the NSW Government and has a list of more than 68,000 items needed for the recovery efforts.

You can choose to send items or pay for them to be purchased, but if you do choose to donate the goods, GIVIT has asked that you please only donate those that have been requested so as not to hinder recovery efforts. Donations can be made on their website.

Volunteer to physically help with Mud Army 2.0.

For those in Brisbane, the City Council is calling on volunteers for Mud Army 2.0 to help clean up the city.

More than 10,000 people have already registered to help, but with more than 700 requests for assistance (and counting), the more people there are to assist with the recovery efforts, the better. Volunteers will be deployed from today and you can get all the details here.

Look out for one another.

Natural disasters are undoubtedly traumatic experiences for many people, and these devastating floods are no exception.

But in times of crisis, Aussies are well known for coming together and embodying that ‘true blue’ sense of community spirit.

So, check on your neighbours, friends and family impacted by the floods and ask them if there's anything they need specifically. Most importantly, let them know you're here for support if they need you.

You can also check out The Courier Mail's list here for more ways to help.