As a monsoon drowns parts of Australia’s north and the sky is raining embers in the south, one can’t help being reminded of this verse from one of the most recited Ausssie poems ‘My Country’
I love a sunburnt country * A land of sweeping plains
Of ragged mountain ranges * Of droughts and flooding rains
I love her far horizons * I love her jewel-sea
Her beauty and her terror * The wide brown land for me.
The bushfires that have razed areas of the south eastern State of Victoria over the last few days are now seen as being the country’s worst natural disaster in living memory. To date 130 people have lost their lives and thousands have lost their homes. But the one thing that has not been extinguished is the human will to go on.
Dr Bob Montgomery President of the Australian Psychological Society, having worked with many bushfire survivors after the Canberra Fires, offers the following advice on the best way that we can all help.
Survivors are typically removed away from the area, but those who stay on, to continue fighting the fires and dealing with all the emergency aftermath, often need a lot of extra emotional support too.
Emotional support for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder * PTSD
Once the immediate danger has been dealt with, attention will turn to the psychological welfare of those who’ve been directly and indirectly affected. While some people may need to seek professional advice for PTSD, even people not directly involved in the bush fires may be feeling emotionally distressed and/or at the moment emotionally numb * Because, admit it or not, we can’t help but be affected to different degrees, by all we see in the media.
Dr Bob Montgomery suggests that people REALLY care & watch out for each other and if it’s possible find someone you can openly talk and/or cry with * As this will really help.
So this is a VERY important message for ALL Aussies to listen to http://tinyurl.com/FireStress
If you wish to assist, you CAN make a difference by:
1. Simply sending your prayers and well wishes to all those directly affected by the fires.
2. Giving blood, because burns victims require lots of blood for their many operations. Register at http://tinyurl.com/red-cross-blood-donation
3. OR if you are able to donate money make your donations directly to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal http://tinyurl.com/red-cross-donations
The Red Cross National Registry and Inquiry Service overseas phone number is +61 3 9328 3716
Note for Overseas Contributors: The US Dollar and the English Pound are both very strong against the Aussie Dollar making your gesture even more valuable.
Updates like the following can be found at ABC Local Radio Melbourne at http://twitter.com/774melbourne
Latest information with fire maps, traffic and relief centers http://bit.ly/I1Uj
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has accepted New Zealand‘s offer of 100 firefighters. http://bit.ly/tNB4
Australians have already donated about $7million to the Vic bushfire. http://bit.ly/bFbV
Tasmania boosts aid to fire-ravaged Victoria http://bit.ly/14Dtl
Victorian Bushfires January/February 2009: Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment http://bit.ly/B9yj
Ally
