COINS office in Brisbane remains unaffected by the devastating floods which have occurred over the last week but they are the exception. The floods have covered an area of Queensland greater than the size of France and Germany combined. As the floodwaters moved to the sea, the Brisbane river burst its banks causing billions of dollars-worth of damage. The floodwaters peaked at just under 4.5m (about 14ft) at 19.30 GMT last night (Weds Jan 12th) and are expected to recede reasonably quickly.

We are planning to use our contacts in the COINS Brisbane office to identify and support these local community groups who are working with people affected by the floods but who are unlikely to be the recipients of disaster relief. In major disasters, the people who are already amongst the disenfranchised are always ‘pushed further down the list’. Following hurricane Katrina in New Orleans there were widespread reports and significant research which showed that the very poor, marginalised ethnic groups, young and single parents, the homeless, disabled, those with mental health issues were far less likely to be recipients of support.* It is these groups that COINS Foundation will aim to help.

As always, the COINS Foundation will ensure that every penny donated to our Brisbane Flood Fund will go direct to real people in real need.