NZ Red Cross team back from Aussie floods

Members of the first New Zealand Red Cross team who helped with flood-ravaged Queensland returned to Wellington this week.

New Zealand Red Cross International operations manager Andrew McKie said the team learnt a lot while they were in Australia and everything went well.

The first team of four left on January 14 and returned on Monday, while the second team left on January 20 and is expected home on January 30.

Patrick Cummings, who spent time in the Lockyer Valley, said he was impressed with how quickly everyone in the area was able to be relocated.

"Helidon was the worst hit, no one was able to go back to their own homes as some of them had been completely washed away but within two weeks, everyone was relocated and on Sunday, the Helidon evacuation centre was closed."

Mr Cummings, from Hamilton, said he learnt how to run a recovery phase and how to operate recovery centres.

"The fact we were able to experience a disaster like this first hand meant we were able to gain practical experience, which is good practice for any disasters that may happen in the future in New Zealand."Mr McKie said the second Red Cross team of four now in Queensland was working hard to help, with lower North Island emergency operations manager Graeme Brown and business advisor Jane Booth based in Brisbane, and national operations manager Wendy Potter and Taranaki area manager Karen Lawson in Ipswich.

If the situation in Queensland worsened and people required further assistance, the Red Cross would be more than happy to continue to help out, Mr McKie said.

The Australian Floods Fund has reached more than $51,000, all of which will go to Australian Red Cross.

The Red Cross is working with other agencies to run welfare centres for people forced to leave their homes by the flooding, going door-to-door in neighbourhoods to check on people, and giving advice on cleaning up after floods and psychological trauma.

- NZPA