Queensland, Australia [RECORD; CD EUDNews]. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has responded to the flood crisis stretching across Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia, through an accommodation program that has seen more than 100 evacuees assisted.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald, which brought heavy rain and wind across the Queensland coast moved south over the weekend bringing widespread flooding throughout northern New South Wales.
Across major centres and regional towns in both states, ADRA volunteers were called into action and in the previous two days have assisted more than 100 individuals and families in need. In Grafton alone 86 people were accommodated.
“Our volunteers across the country have had a busy start to the year,” says Kevin Munro, national manager, Emergency Services. “The team in Coffs Harbour area were asked to check the potential for moving significant numbers of people from Grafton into the city. That alone was a mammoth task.”
ADRA Volunteers came to the assistance of two new mums when the Queensland government asked them to secure accommodation for them in Brisbane—their premature babies were at the threatened Bundaberg hospital and needed to be evacuated.
Thanks to ADRA’s work the mothers can now stay close to their babies, despite the devastation around them.
The program, which has been established in NSW more than 30 years, provides free accommodation through ADRA’s official agreements with state government.
About ADRA
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was established in November 1956 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to provide humanitarian relief and welfare. Originally called Seventh-day Adventist Welfare Service or SAWS, the name was changed to Seventh-day Adventist World Service in 1973.
ADRA is currently one of the leading non-governmental relief organizations in the world. In 1997 the agency was granted General Consultative Status by the United Nations, a unique opportunity giving ADRA added voice in the international community. In 2004 it assisted nearly 24 million people with more than US$159 million in aid. More than 4,000 ADRA staff members currently work in 125 countries. As new challenges and needs arise, ADRA continues to strive to realize its mission of reflecting God's love through compassionate acts of humanitarian service.
To learn more about ADRA, visit the web site www.adra.org
(picture: RECORD)