Activation by the Red Cross

In March I was sent by Red Cross to Queensland to assist with the floods. This was my first time being activated interstate and it was into a new role, as Field Debriefing Officer. While in Queensland I was flown in and out of flood affect towns, sat for hours in airports both briefing and debriefing teams of volunteers and in between I spent as much time as I could on the phone debriefing volunteers who had returned home. This was the first time this role had been used and it meant that we could actively make improvements DURING the activation to make things easier for volunteers.

This role was incredibly rewarding. On one hand there was the visible destruction left by the floods, the destroyed homes and the emotional citizens. On the other hand there were the heart warming volunteers stories about the people they had helped, the amazing strength shown by the people affected and that warm fuzzy feeling of being part of something like the Red Cross in a situation like that. The days were long, sometimes needing to be at the airport before sunrise, and the mosquitos were vicious but the experience was overall very humbling – I wasn’t expecting such an emotional rollercoaster.

If offered the opportunity to assist again with the Red Cross I will be saying a loud YES. It blew me away just how well everything operated, and being part of such a strong team has left me with an experience I’ll remember for a very long time.

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