Where does the balance lie for material and psychological need in times of natural disaster?
I received an email with a request to support Lifeline for the delivery of counselling, much of it by volunteers, to our friends and neighbours who bore the brunt of the recent flooding in Queensland and got to thinking about the appeals for flood relief.
While the immediate hardships for people in the path of the floods may be material - house, food, furniture and personal effects - the ongoing psychological needs of people affected will be immense and some will need emotional support for a very long time.
The Sunshine Coast was pretty lucky this time even though we had a lot of rain and some damage but even if everyone gets the essential material items they need to carry on I wonder if any of us can get back to normal when so many people and communities are traumatised?
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