2016-01-13
Emma Davidson
January 18 is the anniversary of the Canberra bushfires that destroyed 500 homes and resulted in 4 deaths in 2003. On 7 February, we will remember the 173 people who died in the 2009 Black Saturday fires. As I write this, the Great Ocean Road area, South Australians, and West Australians, are still trying to deal with the aftermath of fires in November and December 2015.
Bushfires have always been a risk in Australia. In 1851, around 5 million hectares (12,355,269 acres) burned, around a quarter of Victoria. It was the largest Australian bushfire in recorded history. But all the evidence points to increasing risk of bushfires in our future.
In 2015, at least six people died in bushfires around Australia. These include the 2015 Sampson Flat fires (January), Northcliffe bushfire in WA (January/February), fires in Esperance, WA and Pinery, SA (November), and Great Ocean Road, VIC (December). More than 380,700 hectares (940,730 acres or 3,807 square kilometres) burned in 2015.
With that in mind, here are some things we can do as a community to support each other in the aftermath of fires.
Immediate crisis support
Organisations such as Red Cross and SES are often central in providing support to those affected by natural disasters. If you live locally, there will usually be a call out for specific things that they need (check their websites, or your local ABC website, for calls for help). There may also be local organisations coordinating billets for people who need somewhere to stay (something that we saw happening in Canberra in 2003), or other forms of assistance.
If you aren't local, donate cash to charity relief funds. Donating things that aren't on the list is likely to result in extra work for their already busy volunteers, but if you have excess things and are short on cash perhaps consider selling them to quickly raise some extra funds to donate? Some people express concern about making donations to organisations that have significant administrative costs, when they would prefer their donation go directly to the place where it is needed. Do keep in mind that some of those organisations have higher administrative costs in order to be able to respond quickly to these kinds of situations - your donation will help those who need it.
If you have knowledge or skills that might be helpful to people with a specific difficulty in an emergency accommodation situation, do look for ways to provide that help through your networks in that area. For example, offering help to translate for people who don't speak English, assistance with specialised equipment or tools, or trucking in feed for livestock. After the Black Saturday fires, local midwives said they were grateful for offers to send baby carriers and slings, as people were having to carry babies and toddlers because prams were hard to use with the ground in the state it was in. Talking to local contacts within those networks is the key to ensuring that offers of help are delivered at the right time, and in the right way, to be of most use to those who need it.
For those who can, donating blood is a way to help no matter where you live. Blood donations are used in burns treatments, but can only be stored for 42 days, so regular donations are needed.
If you work for an organisation who provides services in the area affected, consider talking to your employer about a corporate response. For example, not sending bills to customers who are affected, making a corporate donation, or providing goods or services without charge.
A little later...
It can take months for people who have lost their homes to find somewhere long-term to live. By that time, the media cycle has moved on, but they still need help. Consider setting up a regular small donation to a charity organisation in their area, so that months later that organisation still has funds coming in to help. Donations of gift cards (including supermarket or mobile phone cards) are very helpful to organisations who are trying to help people set up home from nothing, and people may have had very high mobile phone bills while they were looking for somewhere to live. When bushfires happen over the summer months, it can mean children returning to school the following February and having to buy more school supplies than usual if they lost last year's uniforms or school bag in the fires.
Counselling is something that may be needed for years. In fact, it may take a long time for some survivors to realise they need or want counselling. Some of those survivors may have moved to a different area during this time. If you know someone who has moved following a natural disaster, try to keep in touch and be a good listener. If you are involved in an organisation that provides professional counselling services, be aware that you may have clients seeking help as a result of natural disasters that occurred in other parts of the country.
Emma Davidson is a candidate for Murrumbidgee in the ACT Territory elections and is the National Secretary of Women's Electoral Lobby. She is currently co-editor of Green Magazine.