There in your time of need
DROUGHT ANGELS HAS BECOME A ONE-STOP SHOP CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH SUPPORT SERVICES
Bushfires in Miles and Tara in February brought the reality of natural disasters home for many farmers. Drought Angels is just one of the first responders on the scene in the aftermath of devastation, but Founder and CEO Natasha Johnston said the impacts are felt by people and their communities long after the media has stopped recording.
“There’s so much trauma to process and unpack after the logistics have been dealt with that people will sometimes only reach out for help 18 months after the event,” she said.
“They may look like they’ve got things together, but this is a long term process and Drought Angels’ remit has evolved from helping in times of crisis to becoming a onestop shop connecting people with support services for everything from mental health to financial assistance.
“We’ve always been the little charity with big heart and that’s only gotten bigger and bigger as time goes on.”
Ross Leggett is chief executive officer with Rural & Small Business Financial Counselling Service Southern Queensland (RFCSSQ).
He said there are three stages after a major event.
“There are three phases we call the ‘The three Rs’: reinstatement which occurs immediately afterwards and that’s the obvious things, recovery which generally takes between seven to 10 years but in cases of extremely severe events like the 2019 Northern Queensland floods can be much longer and then there is resilience which is always ongoing,” he explains.
“We find most people aren’t aware of the three Rs and while parts of them can overlap, it can increase anxiety and stress if things take longer to come back from than they expect, but full recovery takes much longer than most people realise.”
It is unclear yet what rebuilding assistance is available to producers after the fires, but the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) offers a range of extraordinary disaster recovery grants and some lending with the deadline application for some of the 2022 flooding and rainfall event grants extended to June.
If an affected producer isn’t in a disaster declared area, he or she can apply to be recognised as an Individual Disaster Stricken Property to open up some concessional lending and subsidy rebates.
RFCSSQ also offers a free confidential service to any producers or small businesses seeking counselling or assistance.
“If you see those dark clouds on the horizon and contact us then, you have more options than if you wait until you are in the thick of the storm,” Ross said.
“We are a hand up, not a hand out and our service is here to help people so I would encourage anyone to access it.”
But Tash cautions that while money is important, your physical and mental health is paramount as without that you’ll struggle to get back on your feet.
“Whether you need to talk to someone or need help with everyday necessities, please reach out and if we can’t help, we can connect you to people who can.
“Try not to place timelines around how things come together as you rebuild because it is like grieving the death of a loved one – other people move on, but you’re still processing and it will take you longer than it takes those who aren’t as affected.”
For immediate support phone Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
For post disaster recovery support find more information at:
• www.droughtangels.org.au
• www.rfcssq.org.au
• www.qrida.qld.gov.au