Bushfire Disaster Appeal Report released

The Salvation Army has released a six-month Disaster Appeal Report, outlining its ongoing recovery work in areas of Australia affected by devastating bushfires in 2019-2020.

The report reveals that out of the $41 million in funds donated to The Salvation Army’s bushfire Disaster Appeal, more than $20 million has been distributed so far. From May 2020, $14million (of the remaining $21 million) will be distributed in new grants, to bolster long-term recovery and rebuilding.

The Disaster Appeal Report outlines the range of services and assistance The Salvation Army has been able to offer in bushfire affected areas, including specialist financial assistance through Doorways and Moneycare financial counselling.

Millions of dollars in Salvation Army disaster recovery grants have been distributed to affected households between November 2019 and April 2020.

The road ahead

The Salvation Army is now focused on working towards medium to long-term recovery, which could take at least three years. Research conducted by the University of Melbourne^[1] following the Black Saturday fires, and our experience in working with bushfire impacted communities has shown us secondary effects of disasters, such as loss of one’s home, income, job opportunities, local services, social networks, and opportunities for social gatherings in places now destroyed by fires, can make the recovery process challenging.

Compounded with the impact of COVID-19, these secondary factors have made the recovery process even more complex. The Bushfire Recovery team continues to work with federal, state and local partners to deliver services.

Thanks to our supporters, The Salvation Army will continue to walk alongside Australians for the long haul. Whether it is the restoration of local communities, helping people clear up debts, rebuilding homes or lifting financial and emotional burdens – we can continue helping those who need it most.

^{[1] https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/centres-institutes/centre-for-health-equity}

You can download the full Disaster Appeal Report here.