Mormon Volunteers Show ‘True Aussie Spirit’ as Communities Reel from Floods

Communities across Queensland are bracing for further flooding this week, many of which are still recovering from major floods in January this year.  Mormon volunteers are standing by to assist as they did in January, by assembling and distributing personal care packs, and in the clean-up.

The Herald Sun newspaper reports that “a man is dead and a woman is missing as torrential rains continue to pound large parts of Queensland. There are flood alerts for most rivers between Rockhampton and the NSW border and a major highway has been cut in central Queensland.”

Earlier this year, when several parts of Queensland and New South Wales experienced once-in-a-century magnitude flooding, Mormon volunteers joined with others to assist individuals, families and communities.

Around 2,000 personal care or hygiene kits were assembled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which were then distributed to communities by the Red Cross.

Sunshine Coast youth felt a real need to support flood-stricken communities in Bundaberg. 

Latter-day Saint youth leader, Richard Arkins, said, “The weekend before the floods they were up there for a dance, and other activities, and had gone to church together. When they heard about the floods they felt a special connection to the families affected and felt an urgent and deep desire to lend a hand.”

When the call went out from the Red Cross, nearly 100 youth arrived at the Latter-day Saint church hall in Kawana, ready to work.  “I came tonight to help people receive the basics,” said Jackson Porters, age 12, from Buderim.

Sarah Williams, a 17-year-old from Woombye, said, “It made me so sad to think of all the people who had lost everything.”

Buderim youth Ashely-Kaye Burke, 17, who has family living in Bundaberg, said, “My aunty lost her quilting shop and I know people up there who have lost their homes. Coming tonight and making these kits helps me to help my friends. I may not be able to get back all they have lost, but I can do this.”

Lehi Reeves, 16, watched the devastation unfold on the news and decided that he had to help.  “By receiving the basics it will boost morale and help them feel a little more normal, and give them the hope they desperately need to go on from here.”

The hygiene kits include soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, hand towel, and other necessities.

When the floods hit Queensland at the end of January, Latter-day Saints in the region were ready to respond. Working hand-in-hand with local emergency services, members reacted quickly as they were informed by the Red Cross of the immediate needs of those affected by the flood.

The involvement of members of the Church in helping with the flood relief didn’t stop there.  Queensland Emergency Response coordinators trained and organized Latter-day Saints to clean up communities after the floods.

In Laidley, west of Brisbane, several Mormon families pooled their efforts with the local Lions Club to help relocate a family who needed to be moved to higher ground.

Members of the Church who had signed up to attend a weekend of special emergency response training by the Red Cross (several weeks before the floods) were called to action as disaster struck.  Ten of these individuals were placed in locations where their newly acquired skills helped in areas ranging from evacuation centres, recovery centres, command centres, and engaging directly with members of the community. Those who weren’t immediately enlisted by the Red Cross were on standby, ready to be of help.

One volunteer, Kimmi Hartley, 18, said:  “Many of the people in Bundaberg had their homes completely covered in water. But those of us who volunteered to help were impressed by the resilience of the people who had been affected by the flood.”

According to Michael Malouf, a Latter-day Saint from the Brisbane suburb of Cleveland, “so many wonderful stories have come to light, that accentuate the true Aussie spirit, with acts of charity and service.”