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With the worst of the 2011 Brisbane floods hopefully now over, and with floodwaters slowly dropping, it is over the next days and weeks that flood victims will really need the help and support of their communities.

It is only now, as the flood waters start to drop, that the real scale of the problem facing the thousands of home and businesses inundated by floodwaters.  Even once the water has gone, there are many health and safety issues which need to be considered before the cleanup can even begin.

Power, is a very serious issue, with property owners needing to get certification from an authorised electrical contractor before power can be reconnected.  There are also all sorts health issues associated with things that the floodwaters have washed up – sewerage, chemicals, oil, petrol, sharp objects, snakes , etc are all issues that need to be resolved as a part of the cleanup process.  It is becoming very clear that it is going to take a long time before things will be back to normal, and a great deal of ongoing community help and assistance will be needed in the coming weeks and months.

How Can You Help?

• Financial Donations – if you live away from affected areas. the BEST way you can  help is to make a financial donation via the Qld Flood Appeal
• Muscle and Manpower – if you live in or near affected communities and can offer some muscle or manual labour, the best approach is to register with Volunteering Qld.  They specialise in are coordinating the deployment of volunteers and can help
• Donations of Clothes / Furniture / Food / Services –
  • If you live away from flood affected areas, the donation of goods or items is unfortunately of limited value, as the cost and effort associated with gathering/transporting/distributing these donations is very high.
  • If you live in or near to a flood affected area you can Create a Listing on HelpOut to let people know what you have to offer
• Spread the Word – the more people that get to know about HelpOut the more effective it is going to be at helping Flood Victims.  Tell your friends, families, colleagues and friends about HelpOut (http://helpout.spaceout.com.au) –  Facebook it, Tweet it, and print and distribute HelpOut flyers in your workplace.  In particular, if you know people directly affected, let them know about HelpOut too so that they can start to list the types of assistance that they really need.