Been out helping with the clean up over the last few days. Lots of stuff going to waste and the dump pile. I'm staggered at the amount actually. Allot of goods could be cleaned up and reused. Managed to save some nice audio equipment (With the owners permission of course). I'll clean it up test it and return the stuff. (I already have too much audio gear
) It'll be a nice little joy to hear some of this gear play music again
Good on you for helping, MD. I guess many of the affected people are so distraught that the idea of trying to clean up audio equipment etc just seems like a step too far.
Their insurance will presumably cover replacement with a new item (If they have flood insurance of course.)
I was out today to help with the clean up and it was good to see so many people out helping out - so many that they had to turn some people away as they couldnt handle so many people. The Brisbane City Council deserves praise for its work -they have organised buses to get volunteers out to the problem areas. I was in Rosalie and they had about 15 people per house making stripping the houses out and doing whatever cleaning was possible much easier. Then they had bulldozers and rubbish trucks on the street to take the junk straight away as well as fire trucks and street cleaning trucks to try and clean the road up. This scene is being repeated street after street, right across Brisbane. They said they will be prepared for more volunteers tomorrow, there are still some areas that people cant get into due to flood water.
Goodonya, Jimbob. Yes, I was listening to Can Do Campbell on the radio this evening and totally understand how he came by such a nickname. Perhaps it's his army background. Just fantastic organisation by the BCC and wonderful support from all the volunteers.
I think we're all disgusted by the few cases of looting, but truly, when these are compared with the thousands of people prepared to offer help to those they've never met, it's an immense tribute to the community spirit of the Australian people.
It reminds me of the often quoted fact that during World War II the suicide rate in Britain was about halved, as people pulled together and supported one another.
Sometimes, a disaster can be about people actually feeling they have a worthwhile role in life rather than being insignificant.
I wonder what will become of all the small businesses who have just lost everything
The government is offering $25,000 to each small business. That should help a bit.
I'll be heading for the worst of the areas next week, probably Grantham I'll look for someone in trouble and hand out cash or take them shopping. My daughter has bought a new fridge and a new washing machine and has given it to the grand kids and told them to go there and find someone that desperately needs one. I believe in direct action rather than give to a fund that may still be holding the funds in a few months time.
Whilst that sounds great and is generous of you, Nioka, I wonder where the recipient will put a new fridge and washing machine when their house is a long way from being habitable? Would it be better perhaps to wait until some of the rehabilitation of housing has taken place, by which time it's pretty likely much of the emotion will have drained away and all the passionate response we're seeing at present has dwindled to nothing.
In many ways, for the people affected, it will be a bit like the death of someone they have loved. i.e. many visits and letters of sympathy at the time, lots of people at the funeral, but it's a few weeks later when it has all died off that often the affected person will feel most devastated and in need of some comfort.
Don't know. I might be wrong.
I have a lot of time for the Salvos and if direct action is not possible they would be my first choice.
Mine too.
A national critical skills scheme is what I think is needed.
If it could be arranged that workers were still paid as usual and there were no other consequences for their normal employment, then I think we could get a huge number of trades people from the other states up there pretty quickly.
But retaining existing employment arrangements really is the key to make something like that work. Nobody's wants to take unpaid leave and then come back home to find they've been sacked. And of course they still need an income to pay the bills while they're up in Qld.
I'm thinking of a scheme where employers who "loan" their staff to assist in Qld are compensated by government for doing so. I'm not generally keen on governments handing out money, but in this case it's a solution.
Under this system, those going to Qld would not make a profit from doing so despite the long hours they would likely be working. They'd just get paid (by their normal employer using government $) for the normal hours they would have worked in their normal jobs, with a guarantee of no impact on their normal employment arrangements once they return home.
I'm not thinking that they stay up there for months and build entire houses. I'm talking about getting the transport system (roads, rail and I hear there's some ferry terminals that are completely wrecked - fixing those would seem fairly urgent so people can get around etc). And things like getting the power, water, gas etc working for those buildings otherwise still habitable. That would at least get some of the worst ongoing day to day aspects of the disaster overcome and with help from all states should be able to be done pretty quickly I would think.
At least with a working transport system, power, gas, water etc there will be a sound basis to fix the damaged buildings etc. But everything's so much harder if you don't have power, drinkable water and so on first.
Sounds good but what about the employer who is 'donating' the workers: they will presumably have employed only as many workers as they need to adequately run their business, so if those people are seconded north, how will they get on in running their ordinary, everyday business?