RAPID RELIEF TEAM RESPOND TO FLOOD CRISIS

More than one hundred Rapid Relief Team volunteers have worked around the clock helping communities along Australia’s east coast fight and then recover from devastating floods.

From Western Sydney to Maryborough, the North Coast of NSW to the Hawkesbury and Southern Highlands, Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members pitched in to help their neighbours.

Dozens of RRT volunteers packed thousands sandbags, cleaned up tonnes of rubbish, washed down streets and warehouses and fed hungry, tired, emergency services workers and displaced locals with thousands of hot meals.

Communities have been hit incredibly hard in what has transpired to be the wettest period on record in NSW. But what has shone through has been the community spirit and resilience of Australians throughout.

By the Numbers:

Sandbagging:

RRT fired up the Rapid Sandbagger and assisted local councils in QLD and NSW to fill and donate more than 72,500  sandbags to protect homes and businesses.

Catering:

RRT served thousands of hot meals and refreshments to emergency service personnel and locals displaced by floods.

Clean up support:

RRT deployed the Rapid Water Systems initiative to assist with the clean up efforts, using 24,000 litre water tankers to clean up dirt and debris and a skidsteer to plow through the mess. The Brisbane Council requested RRT’s support at the Rocklea Markets, which provides over 75% of QLD’s fresh produce. The team’s efforts helped the Rocklea Markets get back up and running just four days after the floods.

Areas Supported:

Cleveland, QLD –SES Depot; Emu Plains, NSW; Lismore, NSW; Londonderry, NSW; Maryborough, QLD; Newmarket, QLD –SES Depot; Penrith, NSW; Picton, NSW; Redland Bay, QLD –SES Depot; Rocklea, QLD; Windsor, NSW; Wollondilly, NSW.

The below images and video show the scale of some of the adversity communities have had to overcome: