Northern Rivers and Tweed Valley emergency services teams have been recognised with distinguished teams awards for their outstanding work during the Ex-Cyclone Debbie event in 2017.
The awards were presented at the Red Cross Annual Conference in Sydney on October 12.
Red Cross Emergency Services Liaison Officer Kerrie Gray said despite personal affected the team members worked tirelessly, manning the seven evacuation centres established across the impacted region, with some volunteers spending the night onsite to help people whenever they arrived.
‘Once the evacuation centres closed, the team members started their work in the recovery centres, providing personal support and comfort to victims and providing invaluable local knowledge to the departments and agencies working alongside them.
‘The recovery centres remained open for eight weeks with Red Cross Emergency Team volunteers on shift for the entire period.
‘The work was long, tiring, and often distressing but the professional and caring approach of the volunteers was maintained throughout.
‘The work of Red Cross volunteers throughout this period was inspiring and a true reflection of Red Cross’s fundamental principles.’
And with summer upon us, Red Cross is encouraging the public to take some simple and practical steps to protect themselves against natural emergencies.
Preparation advice
‘The more prepared you are for emergencies and disasters the less stressful they become. 1) Create an emergency plan; 2) Build your own survival kit; 3) Start a conversation with people you care about; 4) Download the Red Cross Get Prepared app (for iOS and Android).
‘Get Prepared can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, Google Play or by visiting www.redcross.org.au/prepare.’
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