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My heart aches that no DRCN chaplains were able to get into Murwillumbah Evacuation Centre!
Pray for that shattered town. Everything below must surely apply to the people of Murwillumbah too.
Evacuation Centres receive those who have nowhere else to go – no family or friends locally, or if they have friends and family nearby, they are also suffering the same circumstances.
Practically and immediately, there is desperate need for men’s clothing, work boots and shoes. All local op shops have, or are, running out.
Pray for the provision of local low income housing on high ground.
Pray for low income tenants, many of them victims of domestic violence, single parents with young children (mostly from caravan parks & boarding houses) who have lost everything and been temporarily accommodated in Ballina. Others who have come to the Evacuation Centre are veterans, those with disabilities and/or mental health issues, and those who were homeless before the flood. Many feel acutely vulnerable, dislocated on top of trauma, shock & grief. They don’t have homes nor know when they can return to the familiarity of Lismore.
Please pray and donate money for immediate help…
Emergency Disaster Relief funds will be available but assessors must visit each applicant’s home or remains of their homes to recommend that bureaucrats in Sydney approve or refuse each application. This all takes time. Funds cover the basics – bed, table, chairs, stove, refrigerator…
People could adopt a needy family or contact a school and buy school uniform or supplies for teachers to distribute to kids who have lost theirs? Or ditto with sporting clubs?
Pray for farmers who have lost livestock and who fear they cannot survive these losses.
Right now there is a lot of immediate crisis support, but continued supportive involvement will be needed for many months to come! As we transition now into long term recovery, pray long term for the well-being of Lismore & Murwillumbah folk. This is not just a short term crisis it is a long term challenge for the community.
– Fiona Hancock
If you would like to donate to the Northern NSW Flood Appeal, Careworks has launched an appeal with funds going directly to those on the ground in the affected areas of Lismore, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads. Donate here.
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