It’s hard to believe that with everything happening right now in the world that Australia’s deadliest Black Summer was only 8 months ago. To help support the Australian communities affected by the bushfires this year, CR donated $50,000 to the Red Cross in an effort to support the bushfire relief and recovery work.
The Red Cross has worked tirelessly to ensure the communities are helped back on their feet and has acknowledged there is still much work to be done.
“4,380 Australians (and counting) have received grants that helped them meet immediate needs, make repairs, cover out-of-pocket funeral or hospital costs, or re-establish a safe place to live. Because of you, further funds are available to help those in ongoing hardship.
There’s a long road ahead. Many people are living in caravans while they wait for their land to be cleared and rebuilding to begin. The trauma they have endured will continue to manifest in the months and even years ahead. Because of you, we can walk with bushfire-affected communities on this journey. Our recovery officers live locally, getting to know everyone who’s affected and checking in on them. They act as a bridge between the community and government and service providers: organising recovery events, training community services and community leaders in disaster recovery, and advocating for those most vulnerable.
The Black Summer response has been an incredibly complex operation, requiring us to set up a dedicated grant payments team to get several millions of dollars out each day, provide additional case work for people with complex needs, and ensure our systems were robust enough to prevent fraud and protect data.
Our recovery work will continue and alongside this, we are investing in preparedness. We are working with communities to raise awareness, start conversations, and share simple, practical tools and resources to ensure all Australians are as prepared as they can be. If you would like to continue the journey with us and learn more about our Preparedness Week campaign, please let us know.”
Read a full rundown of the Red Cross 2020 H1 report.
