United to provide relief for victims of Cyclone Alfred

Stefano Girola

from Brisbane, Australia

Alfred is just the latest of the tropical cyclones that every summer in Australia leave a trail of immense devastation, suffering and financial ruin in their wake. However, whereas these events happen regularly each year in northern Queensland, 1974 was the last time a cyclone hit the southern part of the state, directly threatening its capital, Brisbane, and its 2.7 million inhabitants, as well as tourist sites on the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, including the northernmost part of the State of New South Wales.

Although the cyclone’s destructive fury weakened when it reached the coast on 7 March, the effects of this weather event, which brought two months’ worth of rainfall in just 24 hours, were significant: widespread floods, especially on the Gold Coast and at Hervey Bay, trees fallen on houses and cars, hundreds of thousands of people without electricity or forced to evacuate their homes. Like these extreme weather events, the response from local churches was right on time. They always remain beside the victims, even when the media shifts its focus to other emergencies.

The Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Queensland and New South Wales immediately launched an appeal to help people most affected by Alfred, while its approximately 700 volunteers have been helping people on the ground from the beginning and “will continue to be there as they rebuild their lives in the long-term”, according to an appeal launched on the organization’s website.

Food, clothing and household items were purchased thanks to donations, which will allow many people to rebuild from scratch. Saint Vincent de Paul New South Wales is also active at centres for people at risk of remaining homeless. They offer essential aid but also “practical assistance and emotional support in the long term”, said State President of “Vinnies NSW”, Peter Houweling.

During the cyclone, the Archdiocese of Brisbane suspended Masses and cancelled all scheduled sacramental events. The priority, said Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge, was “the safety of parishioners, volunteers and parish staff”.

In Mudgeeraba, on the Gold Coast, the parish live-streamed Masses as it had done during the Covid pandemic, to continue to offer the thousands of connected faithful the possibility to follow religious functions. The priests of the same parish used social media and smartphones to call or send messages to parishioners in danger, even “just to give a friendly word”, says Father Morgan Batt, adding, “I think we are really in the community helping — as today’s Gospel calls us to do”.

While Father Josh Whitehead on the Sunshine Coast and Father Batt on the Gold Coast were making church car parks available for people whose garages risked being flooded, and offering other parish property to set up makeshift markets for food, fruit and vegetable donations, in the Queensland capital, Catholics of Emmanuel City Mission (ecm) were available 24 hours a day to offer hospitality for the entire duration of the cyclone. The number of people asking for help doubled in the cyclone days. Thinking about his volunteers working during the emergency, Tim Noonan, ecm Operations Manager, said he saw in them the face of “a renewed Church”. Among the many people who volunteered to help at ecm were members of the Order of Malta. Danny Higgins, a representative of the Order, highlighted that the Order shares ecm’s mission to support people in disadvantaged situations and those without a home. Beyond helping to offer hospitality to the displaced, the volunteers of the Order of Malta collected donations, clothing and food.

All the churches took action to deliver aid to the people struck by the cyclone. Among them was the “Adventist Development and Relief Agency (adra)”. In partnership with local Adventist Churches, it mobilized to assist the hardest-hit communities, donating essential aid, and opening its doors to offer respite and housing to people who most needed it. They also offered the opportunity to recharge phones, wash up and drink a hot cup of coffee. In full Aussie spirit, the Ipswich Adventist Church organized a big community barbecue while, along the coast, many volunteers went out to clear the mud and debris from streets and houses.

In a homily, the Dean of the Catholic Cathedral of Brisbane, Father Anthony Mellor, said, “Even in the midst of the greatest storms of life, God can turn our hearts to love and mercy and compassion”. And for many inhabitants of Queensland and New South Wales, it was the smiling faces of volunteers that reflected the face of Jesus who welcomes those who are poor and in need to keep the light of hope alive.