Flood Victims Offer Aid to Victorian Fire Victims

G'day Reader,

Once in a while you stumble across a story so heart-warming that it beggars belief. But, having lived and worked with the people of the areas affected by our current flooding, I shouldn't really br surprised.

Below is shown an article I came across while perusing the news. In a nutshell, 36 local councils in Queensland have been declared disaster areas due to our Wet Season, two cyclone breakups, and a persistent monsoonal low pressure trough over the whole Northern part of the state. And the victims of this water onslaught wish to give their aid to the victims of the fires in Victoria.

Posted here is the link to the original article:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5311372/flood-victims-boost-bus...


Posted below are the words of the article itself:

"Flood victims to boost bushfire appeal
February 10, 2009, 5:56 pm




Victims of the North Queensland's devastating floods are planning to hand over their aid cheques to the Victorian bushfire disaster appeal.

Vast areas of the state's north remain inundated with almost 3,000 homes damaged in the Ingham area alone, a legacy of ex-cyclone Ellie.

As the mopping-up operation got underway now that the floodwaters are starting to recede, the federal minister in charge of the flood operation, Dr Craig Emerson, toured the area on Tuesday.

And he was clearly touched by how many of the residents he met were talking about the Victorian bushfires.

"They know they've been through trying times here but there's a lot of sympathy and support for the Victorian bushfire victims," Dr Emerson told AAP.

"Indeed some of the people who are getting assistance here are going to give it to the bushfire victims, which I think is a wonderful tribute to the Australian spirit."

Hinchinbrook Shire Council spokesman Dan Hoban also said that as council and emergency workers inspected damaged homes much of the talk among residents was about the bushfires.

"People are saying that as soon as they get themselves together they are going to help Victoria," Mr Hoban said.

More than 1,200 people, many of whom have been isolated until Tuesday, have sought assistance from the recovery centre in Ingham over the past two days.

All kinds of debris, including things like couches and even washing machines, have been found on Ingham's roads by council officers assessing the damage to infrastructure.

After peaking at 12.2m twice in one week, the Herbert River at Ingham has fallen to 9.55 metres and was expected to dip below eight metres by midnight on Tuesday.

Army trucks are streaming in to help with the recovery with two Australian Defence Force Black Hawk helicopters on hand.

The council is distributing bottles of disinfectant to residents to help reduce health risks associated with mould that is expected to grow inside many houses that were flooded.

The weather bureau is predicting more showers for Thursday and Friday but this was not expected to raise water levels again.

In Brisbane, state parliament returned for the first time for the year and question time was suspended to allow MPs to speak on the flooding and Victorian bushfires.

Premier Anna Bligh said Queenslanders would stand by those facing a long recovery from both the fires what had taken at least 173 lives - and the flooding, which had claimed seven lives since November.

"There has been so much pain associated with these disasters that many of us will marvel at how much the human heart can bear," Ms Bligh said.

"Our own hearts reach out to those whose lives have been torn apart."

Two-thirds of Queensland remains flooded, with 36 councils declared disaster zones.

Defence Force aircraft are still dropping off thousands of ration packs to flood-bound areas.

Gulf of Carpentaria communities such as Normanton and Karumba expect to be isolated for another two months.

The federal government on Tuesday made available Queensland's $1.3 billion share of housing funds in the second stimulus package for flood relief.

And some of the $14.7 billion set aside under the Building the Revolution program will go to repair and upgrade schools."


I find I neverwould have thought I'd see the day such charity would be expressed in this day and age. Please show this article around as a sign people still can do great and good things.

To offer assistance in any form, please go to the Australian Red Cross site here:
http://www.redcross.org.au/

OR the Salvation Army, Australia site here:
http://www.salvos.org.au/