The NZ Red Cross thanks everyone for their generosity and kindness following Cyclone Gabrielle. Video / NZ Red Cross
Generators and satellite phones are being delivered to cyclone-hit communities across New Zealand’s North Island thanks to the generosity of thousands of Kiwis who have donated to the New Zealand Disaster Fund.
The fund, backed by the NZ Herald and NZME, has surpassed $8 million, just one week after it was launched last Friday, to support the work of New Zealand Red Cross on the response and recovery to Cyclone Gabrielle.
Donations made to the fund will be used to provide ongoing support to those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and to prepare for, respond to and recover from future disasters as the impacts of climate change grow.
Money donated to the fund has helped Hawke’s Bay communities in many ways to date. For example, in Rissington, your money has helped set up a temporary repeater to assist with communications in the cut-off region.
The team has also distributed a number of satellite phones to make sure people without cell phone coverage or Wi-Fi are able to communicate.
“This deployment of the ERU and satellite phones is only possible through the New Zealand Disaster Fund,” the Red Cross says.
In Esk Valley, the New Zealand Red Cross has procured and is distributing 28 generators, full fuel containers and electrical cords in Esk Valley and rural areas along the Napier-Taupo Rd (State Highway 5).
The generators were provided to local hubs and isolated rural homes that had not had power for over a week.
Fuel has also been delivered to a local marae that has generators, but was running low on petrol and diesel to run them.
These areas are likely to be without power for some time. It is not yet certain how long, but they have been told it may be a number of weeks.
The New Zealand Red Cross team on the ground in Hawke’s Bay is continuing to reach out to community, alongside council and emergency management agencies.
The NZ Red Cross team is on the ground in areas affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Supplied
“We have been entrusted by the people of New Zealand to make every cent count. We are part of communities, and are working together with communities, to ensure that the way we spend funds supports the needs of regions. We will start by supporting those most impacted, helping them through this difficult time and as they begin to recover,” a New Zealand Red Cross spokesperson told the Herald earlier this week.
“Our response to Cyclone Gabrielle so far has included providing essential supplies such as stretchers, blankets, bedding and hygiene kits, deploying satellite phones, generators and other equipment. Our trained disaster welfare and support teams are providing crucial psychosocial support and practical help to those who have been forced to leave their homes.”
NZ Red Cross volunteers are on the ground in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Supplied
“So far we have supported approximately 1500 people who took shelter in Civil Defence Centres; shifted nearly 1000 stretchers around the North Island to areas hit by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle; and recorded close to 4000 hours of time on the ground from our specialised and trained Red Cross teams.”
In addition to being on the ground, the organisation is in ongoing dialogue with multiple agencies to understand where the most pressing needs are and how best to tackle them.
‘It won’t be like this forever’
The New Zealand Red Cross has also shared an important message to the people in the communities impacted by Gabrielle.
“Adrenaline helped you get through the first few hours after Gabrielle. But it doesn’t last long, and can leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
“Psychological first aid can help. Here are a few practical tips: Give yourself moments of time out, a quiet space to breathe; connect and talk with friends and whanau; make plans for each day, or each task, to help you feel more in control; and remember, however you’re feeling in this situation, is normal. It’s really tough right now, but it won’t be like this forever.”
The organisation has also sent out a message of gratitude to every individual who has donated to the fund so far, stressing out that, without their donation, none of this work would be possible.
Earlier this week, Secretary General of the New Zealand Red Cross Sarah Stuart-Black told Newstalk ZB’s Kerre Woodham the New Zealand Red Cross is working with local agencies to ensure the fund is used where most needed, including working with the Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund.
“Let’s say a Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund is going to look at individual needs ... if that’s the case, we will look at how we can support them, to provide money to those affected households,” Stuart-Black said.
“There will certainly be help and support available for households that have been affected.
“We want to make sure we are in a position to support the needs right now and in the weeks ahead in communities that have been impacted. That includes Auckland and Northland as well.
“We want to be able to provide support to all those people that are doing it tough.”
She also clarified that the New Zealand Red Cross does not take an administrative charge from each donation, as this is a special appeal. All of the money donated goes directly to help those who need it.
If you can’t donate at the moment, one easy, practical way to help is to share this appeal with others around you.
The NZ Red Cross has recorded close to 4000 hours of time on the ground since the cyclone hit. Photo / Supplied
There are now 11 confirmed dead almost a week after the cyclone smashed across large swathes of the North Island, most devastatingly in the island’s east.
A car through a house on Shaw Rd in Eskdale near Napier. Photo / Warren Buckland
What is the New Zealand Disaster Fund?
It is a fund to support the work of the New Zealand Red Cross on the response and recovery to Cyclone Gabrielle, providing essential supplies such as stretchers, blankets, bedding and hygiene kits, deploying satellite phones, generators and other equipment.
This also includes providing crucial psychosocial support and practical help to those who have been forced to leave their homes.
The fund will also be used by New Zealand Red Cross to help New Zealand communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from future emergencies and disasters.
This includes:
initial and ongoing response
replacing supplies and equipment
community recovery
preparing for and building capacity to respond to future emergencies and disasters, and
partnering with others to help meet communities’ needs associated with emergencies and disasters
According to the New Zealand Red Cross, the best way to help in a situation like this is to make a monetary donation.
“We are not collecting clothes or goods, as sorting, managing and distributing donated items during an emergency takes an extensive amount of time and resources.
“With people needing emergency supplies immediately, the best, most efficient way you can help make sure the right assistance reaches them when they need it most is by making a monetary donation. By donating money, you make sure local communities get help in the most effective way.”
The New Zealand Red Cross has teams on the ground in the affected areas, and working with emergency management services to prioritise where to send their trained Disaster Welfare and Support Teams (DWSTs).
Red Cross people are on the ground in Hawke’s Bay and around the North Island providing support.
NZ Red Cross equipment such as stretchers, hygiene kits, generators and bedding have been delivered to Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Palmerston North to assist local emergency management agencies.
NZME chief executive Michael Boggs says the company is determined to do whatever it can to support those impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.
“The events have been catastrophic for communities across the North Island and the need for support is critical. At NZME we have a presence across all the communities that have been affected, with many of our staff, our customers, our readers and our listeners living in or having loved ones in those areas. I know everyone across NZME will be getting right behind this cause, promoting and supporting it however we can, to ensure we raise as much money as possible for those in need,” he said.
The New Zealand Defence Force continues to commit more resources by mobilising and establishing ships, aircraft, vehicles, communications equipment and personnel across the North Island. Photo / NZDF
New Zealand Red Cross general manager of engagement and enterprise, Shane Chisholm said: “New Zealand Red Cross are proud to be teaming up with the NZ Herald and NZME to support those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and help ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand is well prepared for emergencies in the future.”
NZME managing editor Shayne Currie said: “The NZ Herald is committed to keeping Kiwis in the know with extensive coverage of the devastating events - and we want to help further. Through our digital, print and radio channels, we are encouraging our audience to donate. Big or small, every donation helps.”
The full scale of the destruction and loss brought on by Gabrielle might not be known for some time - but what we do know is this is already one of the most significant disasters in New Zealand history.
