The rains that have caused the devastating QLD Floods appear to be moving south and have now also spread over the New South Wales border, with the Richmond River at Kyogle measured still rising, while Lismore is among the larger towns in the firing line of the Wilsons River.  The Brunswick River, which runs through Mullumbimby, is also liable to burst its banks, according to the weather bureau.

So far towns on the New South Wales north coast have escaped flooding, but if rains that are currently battering SE QLD and Northern NSW continue, it seems likely that areas of northern NSW will also experience floods.

A practical way to support NSW Flood Victims

It is very encouraging to see the level of financial support being provided throughout Australia via the various Flood Relief Appeals. However, with expected  flooding in and around NSW, with many  residents and business owners facing weeks and possibly months of ongoing hardship, there are many members of the local communities who are willing to lend a helping hand, but are not quite sure how to go about it.

Financial donations are obviously best to be made to the Flood Appeal, however it is not usually possible to ensure that these types of donations make it back to the local communities.

Donations of goods and items raise logistical issues with collection and distribution, but there are still plenty of things  members of the NSW communities are able to offer on a more practical and hands on level.  The problem is really how to match up the people wanting to help, with those who need the help.

HelpOut offers a simple way for Local Communities to help themselves

With the goal of making it easier for flood affected communities to help themselves, we have created a Free online service called HelpOut.  This service is aimed primarily at people living and working in their local community.

The types of offers of help that we anticipate will be placed on HelpOut are not just items or goods, but also offers of other practical and “hands on” support such as :

• Looking after a pet until the owner gets settled
• Washing and drying a load of washing
• Popping round (or an invitation over) for a home cooked meal
• Hosting a DVD night with popcorn to help things get back to normal
• Lending a car or trailer for a day or two
• etc..

In a nutshell HelpOut works like this :

• People wanting to Help can easily create a Free listing on HelpOut which explains how (and where) they can help.

• People needing a hand simply search in their local area to see who might be able to assist them.  If there is nothing currently listed that matches their needs, they can create  a Help wanted listing (for Free) outlining what type of items or service they need.

• Listings can include contact details, or if people prefer to keep their contact details private they can use our internal (anonymous) message system until they are ready to exchange contact details.

HelpOut has only recently been launched and so far, has relatively few entries, but we expect this to grow quickly, and for HelpOut to be most effective,  the people living and working in or near flood affected areas need to be made aware of this service.  One of the best ways you can help  those people who have been directly affected by the floods and need a hand, and those who have not sufferer so badly, but are willing and able to offer assistance, is to let them know about this service.

We would appreciate if you could take a look at HelpOut at http://helpout.spaceout.com.au and if you think that it could be of benefit to your local community, please spread the word by telling people about it, and forwarding on post to your friends, colleagues and contacts in and around flood affected areas.

We’ve also created a Help for Flood Victims flyer which you may like to print off, and post up in your workplace or around your local community.