There are many people hurting over the impact of these floods in 2022. Here are 5 practical ways you can help someone who has lost their contents in a flood.
Losing your belongings in a flood is a traumatic experience.
While I personally haven’t been through the experience, I have assisted people who have.
It takes years of hard work to acquire our furniture, appliances, clothes, shoes, accessories, toys, books, home furnishings and all the ‘little things” that define our style and make our house our home.
And yes, things are just things, but things can hold value to us with sentimental memories or the practicality of making life easier and more enjoyable.
There are plenty of ways to assist someone who has been affected by the floods, but I’ve come up with 5 practical ways you can help someone who has lost their contents in a flood.
Not everyone has or can afford insurance and even if they do have it, sometimes limits or underinsurance can be a possibility.
Helping practically doesn’t mean decluttering your home of old and broken belongings in the hope a flood affected person will be grateful for them. Give dignity in allowing victims to make their own choices as they slowly acquire items to recover from the tragedy of losing all they own.
5 Ways to Help Someone Who Has Lost Their Contents in a Flood
1. Help salvage what can be salvaged
The clean up after a flood is the most emotional and strenuous time after the event. The mess is putrid and it can be an overwhelming task to remove belongings impacted by black water.
Sadly, not everything can be salvageable when sewerage has travelled through the home.
But if it’s been clean, storm water or items have been stored high, they may be salvageable. Check first for mould even if the items haven’t been drenched in water. If it’s taken time for water to recede, mould can permanently damage some items making them unsalvageable.
Assist with providing storage containers where salvageable items can be placed and removed from site for cleaning. The items can be washed and disinfected or machine washed if it’s linen or clothing items. This practical way of helping involves time, but can be a blessing to those who don’t have the capacity to clean while removing debris from their property.
2. Pay an excess
Paying an excess for someone who has insurance allows the victim to utilise the maximum amount they can claim for on their insurance. For those that don’t have insurance, donating cash directly to the person can assist them in purchasing immediate supplies.
Go Fund Me has plenty of needs where your cash donation can make a difference to a flood affected person’s life.
3. Donate vouchers rather than goods
Gift vouchers allow the flood impacted person to choose items they need and would use. If you know the person has a favourite store they purchased their clothes from prior to the event, buy a gift voucher to that store. It shows the person you care personally for them and gives the victim dignity in making their own decisions on what they do with what’s been given.
4. Offer your house as a delivery location to store new contents
For some victims, they may not be able to accept deliveries of contents items at their temporary accommodation or it may be difficult to store while repairs take place at their home.
If you have spare space in the garage or a room in your home, offer your address as a place for deliveries for online purchases. COVID19 has impacted supplies considerably, so not a lot of items can be bought from a brick and mortar store; some may need to be ordered and purchased online requiring a safe and easily accessible delivery address. Could your property have room to accept these deliveries while a flood victim gets back on their feet?
5. Answer calls for help
Facebook can be a great way to find needs where donations are wanted and very much needed. All of us can have double up appliances, clothes with tags, books that are as good as new which can be donated to shelters or education facilities in need of donations to replenish items lost.
I know of one kindergarten in South West Brisbane collecting new pre-owned books to send to a Kindergarten that lost all their books from the floods. We have bookshelves of new books my girls can go through that can be delivered to assist.
It can be overwhelming to meet needs of those impacted by the floods, but one action can help someone and this has the potential to help many people.
No action is too little. It can mean so much to someone who may be in despair due to floods.
Note: Header image purchased is the after effects of Hurricane Harvey, not related to the floods in QLD and NSW.
