27 January 2011

The first New Zealand Red Cross team who helped with the Queensland floods returned from Australia this week and completed a full debrief in Wellington.

New Zealand Red Cross International Operations Manager Andrew McKie said the team learnt a lot while they were away and everything went as well as could be expected in the conditions.

Meanwhile, the second four person Red Cross team is already working hard to help those who need it, with Lower North Island Emergency Operations Manager Graeme Brown and Business Advisor Jane Booth based at headquarters in Brisbane and National Operations Manager Wendy Potter and Taranaki Area Manager Karen Lawson in Bundamba Recovery Centre in Ipswich (40 kilometres south-west of Brisbane).

Mr McKie said the participation of all New Zealand Red Cross staff was greatly appreciated by the people of Queensland who received help.

He said should the situation in Queensland worsen and people require further assistance, New Zealand Red Cross is more than happy to continue to help out.

The second team will return home on Sunday 30 January.

Patrick Cummings, who spent time in Helidon in the Lockyer Valley (about 120km inland from Brisbane), said he was impressed with how quickly everyone in the area was able to be relocated.

"Helidon was the worst hit, no one was able to go back to their own homes as some of them had been completely washed away but within two weeks, everyone was relocated and on Sunday, the Helidon evacuation centre was closed," he said.

Mr Cummings, from Hamilton, said although we don't usually have disasters of this scale in New Zealand, he learnt how to run a recovery phase and how to operate recovery centres.

"The fact we were able to experience a disaster like this first hand meant we were able to gain practical experience, which is good practice for any disasters that may happen in the future in New Zealand."

The Australian Floods Fund has reached over $51,000, one hundred per cent of which, will go to Australian Red Cross, which is working with other agencies to run welfare centres for people forced to leave their homes by the flooding, going door-to-door in neighbourhoods to check on people, and giving advice on cleaning up after floods and psychological trauma.

New Zealand Red Cross is currently monitoring cyclones throughout the pacific to ensure precautions can be taken if necessary.

ENDS

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