Whilst floods are by no means a new thing to many Queenslanders, the current batch of flooding is so widespread and affects so  many different areas, they are having a much bigger impact than normal.  But what can be done to help

Flood levels are still rising in many areas, and pretty much everything that can be done in preparation, already has been.  For many, it’s now a matter waiting to see what’s going to happen, and the moment, there is very little that anyone can do to assist.  However, when the floods start to subside, and people start to be able to return to their houses and businesses to see what is left, that’s when the community really needs to rally together to help wherever they can.

While flooding will have an impact on entire communities, there are some (perhaps many) people who are not in the direct path of the flood and who will receive little or no property damage to their own home or business.  On the flip-side, those who live or work in lower lying, flood affected areas may very well lose all of their household items, and will soon face the daunting task of mopping, and cleaning up the mess that remains – a task which will take days if not weeks of effort.

It’s moments like these that bring a community together – with most people who are able to help, being more than willing to do so.  The problem however, is to know what needs to be done, and work out how best to help those in need.

All concerned Australians, no matter where we live can of course assist by making donations via the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.  However, the people that need help, and those that are best placed to offer assistance are those that live and work in the flood affected communities themselves.  but putting the people with needs in touch with those who can provide practical assistance could be a problem.

SpaceOut is in a unique position to be able to offer a solution to this problem. The concept of SpaceOut is based around our ability to put in touch people who have something with those who need something – and we do this on a locality basis.  Whilst we normally do this with Space (Storage Space, Parking Space, Office Space, etc…), it does not take a big stretch of the imagination to see how this same model could be applied to the wants and needs of flood victims.

HelpOut – designed to Help Out QLD Flood Victims

We have spent much of today tweaking our website, and are very happy to announce the launch of a new service called HelpOut, which we hope will make it easier for people wanting to help and having something to offer, to get in touch with those in flood affected communities who could really  do with a helping hand.

Lending a hand doesn’t necessarily have to be something big, or dramatic, and in fact it is very often the small, simple things which make the biggest difference.  We’ve outlined below a very brief list of some of the things that have been suggested could be of benefit to flood victims – but there are bound to be plenty of other ways to help :

• Offer to care for a pet for a week or two until they get everything sorted out
• Drop around a home cooked meal (or invite them round for one)
• Offer to assist for an hour or two to clean/mop/wash their house
• Offer to wash and dry a load of washing
• Drop around with some cold drinks/water
• etc…

We have a bigger list of how you could help – and remember, it is not only home owners who are affected, businesses too are suffering, so if you run a business that has not been unduly affected, have a think about what you may be able to offer to help.

HelpOut is a completely FREE service that allows people to either list what items/services that are able to offer, or for those affected by flood, to outline what things they would find really helpful.

You can find at more about How to Help Qld Flood Victims or create your own HelpOut Listing now.