New Zealand’s Flood Recovery
Disasters can strike at any moment, leaving individuals and communities devastated in their wake. The recent flooding in areas of New Zealand caused by Cyclone Gabrielle have triggered a national state of emergency with 10,500 people displaced across the country, over 225,000 people left without electricity and severe damage to businesses and major infrastructure, with a subsequent earthquake compounding this damage. As the situation continues, there is significant risk that these areas will be subjected to long-lasting economical and psychological effects, including trauma, stress, and anxiety. While disasters like these cannot be avoided, disaster relief management efforts can help mitigate these impacts by ensuring effected areas recover faster.
New Zealand’s Community Action
If there is anything positive to be gleamed from this disaster, it is the strength of the community response. There have been strong government and third sector initiatives addressing the immediate needs of those impacted by the disaster including basic sanitary and medical items, water and food. International support from Australia and other nations has helped establish temporary shelter and initial clean up has begun.
There is of course a long way to go, with significant structural damage experienced across the country, and substantial economic losses to property, including vehicles and household items. The mayor of Nelson Tasman suggested the infrastructure damage alone will require multi-year works. As such, New Zealand’s Minister for Emergency Management has already pledged financial assistance, and the total value of aid to be dispersed to recovery efforts across the country will increase over the coming weeks and months as damages are further assessed. There are also a number of channels through which individuals can provide assistance including cash donations, and volunteering when it is safe to do so.
Streamlining this response
As New Zealand government agencies release funding to initiate repairs, it is critical that they do so in a structured and streamlined manner. It is important that the government can track where funds have been provided and utilised, ensuring that funds are being spent optimally. This is especially true given the scale of the disaster and the range of organisations involved. By leveraging the power of modern fund management software, organisations can reduce the chaos and confusion that accompanies disasters.
Enquire has the capacity to assist these organisations in their distribution of disaster relief funding to aid rapid and reliable resilience and recovery. By streamlining the process of getting funds to those who need them most, Enquire can help speed up the recovery process and ensure that resources are being used effectively. With the help of Enquire’s experienced implementation team, organisations are guided through setting up programs so that they are able to bring funds online in as little as 5 days, allowing them to focus on the recovery process.
Tactiv are committed to helping affected communities recover as quickly and effectively as possible. Having assisted governments distribute funding for disaster recovery efforts in the past, we know that Enquire has the power to rapidly and reliably facilitate the necessary procedures to help support recovery and it’s impacted communities. If you believe we can be of help to your organisations funding distributions, please contact us.
