PLEA Network

6 January 2020, The Conversation, Disaster recovery from Australia’s fires will be a marathon, not a sprint. After reporting on the deadly 2011 Queensland flash flood disaster, I spent a year documenting accounts of heroic rescues, tragic deaths and extraordinary survival. Five years later, I returned for a follow-up study. I found some survivors had recovered, but many were far worse off. This research suggests there is a long road ahead for survivors of the current bushfire crisis. However, there are key lessons to be learned. At the time of the 2011 Queensland flood crisis, the Australian Defence Force arrived to help. Community spirit was high. Australia and the world donated very generously. But after the first few weeks, initial assistance gave way to often intractable difficulties with housing, insurance claims, job losses and chronic physical and mental health conditions. Blanket media coverage of the crisis soon dwindled. And for many people, there simply was no return to “normal” life. Read more here