Aid for flood victims
ADRA volunteers fill up an ADRA truck with aid.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and the Seventh-day Adventist Church have been active in responding to recent flooding in Townsville, north Queensland.
Across three days, more than six months of rain was recorded in the region. Thousands of residents in low-lying areas were evacuated, and one person died in the floodwaters.
On February 2, ADRA distributed essential items to two evacuation centres. The team of volunteers distributed food, hygiene products, first aid kits, nappies, sheets, sleeping bags, toothpaste and children’s toys.
“Both evacuation centres were incredibly grateful for the much-needed supplies,” said local ADRA director Pastor Laufili Joseph Ah-You. “The number of people at these centres is steadily increasing.”
ADRA’s immediate response was thanks to the local council’s prepositioned supplies that were being stored in ADRA’s shed, as well as the willingness of ADRA and church volunteers to help their community. In disaster-prone areas, preparation activities such as having prepositioned supplies can save precious time in delivering relief.
As people return home, ADRA has been providing residents with cleaning kits to assist with clean-up efforts.