Since late December, the disastrous fires across the country have been on the radar of ShelterBox. Although ShelterBox International continues to monitor developments closely, there has been no request from a state or the federal government for international aid which is a precondition for intervention. ShelterBox is constrained by very strict international, inter-agency and government (and UN) protocols to ensure the most effective and fair allocation of available resources.
Another important threshold criteria for the provision of support is the Global Development Index Rating which considers the capacity of the government, local NGOs and the community to respond. Australia, as you can imagine, rates very highly on this index. For the most part, people displaced by these fires are largely already being accommodated in safe shelter, are being adequately fed and emotional and tangible support is being provided.
In addition to 2,000 firefighters on the ground in NSW alone, and the activation of disaster and disaster recovery plans in all dates involving all major NGOs, the federal government has sent in army personnel, air force aircraft, and navy cruisers for firefighting, search and rescue, and clean-up efforts.
The government has also allocated $23 million dollars in disaster recovery payments to affected families and businesses. A well organised support network is established to link those in need with insurers, banks, Centrelink, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and others for advice and support in reestablishing their lives and homes.
Although it is unlikely that ShelterBox will play a role here, this is only the start of the danger season and the situation here is being assessed weekly.
