Salvos caring for locals trapped in floods across Queensland, Top End

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Auxiliary-Lieutenant Sandra Mortimer from Katherine Corps offering breakfast at an evacuation centre in the Top End region of Australia. Image: Facebook

BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE

With significant flooding in the Northern Territory and now wet weather and flooding extending into parts of Queensland, The Salvation Army has been responding to the needs of emergency crews and evacuees.

The Salvation Army is active at two evacuation centres in Darwin, with Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) volunteers from Queensland and Western Australia having been deployed to the Top End region to assist.

SAES volunteers Heather, Kris, Angela and Julie from WA, who have flown to Darwin to assist teams on the ground. Image: Facebook

In Katherine, 12 staff and volunteers from Katherine Corps, including Rural and Remote Chaplains Majors Niall and Michelle Gibson and personnel from Social Mission, are coordinating food and refreshments at two evacuation centres, with a third, which is specific to evacuees with medical needs, being coordinated separately.

Katherine Corps Officer Auxiliary-Lieutenant Sandra Mortimer says multiple teams from the Katherine site will be deployed to the two evacuation centres until Friday.

Sandra said there was a great collaborative effort across multiple organisations, churches and community groups. She said community members were also very cooperative and were going “out of their way” to assist neighbours in need. Sandra said the work the corps normally did to assist those sleeping rough, known as “long-grass sleepers” was continuing as at-risk community members had been moved into shelter centres where TSA was present.

“We've been able to see our community and hang out with our community a bit while we've been serving the food that's been provided,” Sandra said.

Sandra said many of the Salvos' own volunteers and staff had had their own homes inundated, with members of the corps isolated, having spent days without power. She said many in the community were very pleased to see familiar faces from The Salvation Army assisting. She said the past few nights, food had been flown in from Darwin.

“The mood has been very, very cooperative,” Sandra said. “People coming from all different organisations ending up trying to make teas and coffee together and refrigerate, serve and store food.”

Another evacuation centre has been activated in Bundaberg, Queensland, with SAES volunteers from the local corps assisting the local community with food and refreshments.

While water levels in Katherine are again on the rise with further rainfall, in Bundaberg, about 200 additional residents evacuated overnight as homes and businesses were inundated.