Emergency and recovery

Australia is a country “of droughts and flooding rains”

Whether it’s bushfires, floods, storm damage, earthquakes, droughts or the COVID-19 pandemic, The Salvation Army has a long history of working to restore the physical, emotional, environmental and economic wellbeing of communities and people affected by emergencies and climate disasters.

Climate change impacts go beyond the environmental impacts. Climate change will have strong impacts on physical and mental health, including those resulting from lack of access to clean water and sanitation, changes to spread in diseases, increased natural disasters, and poverty.

We are already experiencing this in Australia with disaster trends being complex, compounding and cascading, and it is expected to get worse. Climate change responses must lower emissions and help our community adapt to a changing climate. Unfortunately, people already experiencing disadvantage are more likely to be impacted negatively both by climate change and by measures to adapt. They typically have fewer resources to reduce the personal impact of climate change (such as installing solar panels or moving to a safer region) and to recover from it (such as rebuilding after a flood or fire). This means that addressing climate change is not just an environmental or economic imperative — it is a social justice priority.

We advocate to all levels of government for adequate support to communities and individuals experiencing emergencies and disasters, including:
•    Short and medium-term accommodation for people who have been displaced;
•    Emergency relief and food relief for people in need;
•    Available and accessible mental health and family violence support; 
•    Improved cooperation between all levels of government, as well as the community sector, to provide collaborative wraparound support; and
•    Action to mitigate the impact of climate change, especially for people who have fewer resources to adapt. 

We also work to help governments, communities, organisations and individuals to build resilience for future emergencies.