A Whanganui Red Cross Disaster Welfare Support Team member hugs a Napier resident affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Red Cross NZ says its fund to help the victims of Cyclone Gabrielle recover is having an impact in the Hawke’s Bay region.
NZME has raised over $13 million for the New Zealand Disaster Fund, and that number is continuing to climb. The fund itself reached $15 million last week.
The Red Cross website states the fund allows them to “support communities to respond to, recover from, and prepare for disasters and emergencies in Aotearoa New Zealand”.
But what is the New Zealand Disaster Fund, what does it go towards, and what are Red Cross staff doing on the ground in Hawke’s Bay?
According to Red Cross, there’s no set percentage of funds that will be allocated to any one activity or location.
“All funding will be allocated based on where the need is greatest and where it will make the most difference,” a statement said.
So far, $600,000 has been spent across all areas in New Zealand affected by the cyclone, with Red Cross providing a breakdown in categories.
Of that, $450,000 has been spent on equipment, which includes generators, first-aid kits and other items relating to emergency accommodation and other immediate community needs.
Another $100,000 has been given to partner organisations on the ground in cyclone-affected areas, and $50,000 for deployment costs.
Red Cross has also provided Hawkes Bay Today with a list of actions that had been undertaken specifically in the Hawke’s Bay region as part of the spend.
Mental health has been a big focus so far.
The organisation said it had deployed specialist Red Cross staff to provide psychosocial support to evacuees, and also run Psychological First Aid (PFA) training in Hastings for 84 people from Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand, Te Aka Whai Ora - Māori Health Authority and other health and social service agencies in Hawke’s Bay.
It said it had assisted Civil Defence efforts locally at evacuation centres, supplying and restocking bedding and stretchers as required.
The fund was also used to purchase and distribute emergency supplies like satellite phones, first-aid and clean-up kits and hygiene products.
An initial delivery of 28 generators, fuel and extension cords for Esk Valley was also deployed, and Red Cross said this has since been built on with an additional 36 generators ordered (18 delivered so far).
A Red Cross Emergency Response Unit (ERU) unit had also helped establish a temporary communications link for the Rissington community.
Red Cross said it would continue to provide regular updates on where the money is being spent, and how much is being allocated. The organisation also stated that it would not take an admin fee from money donated.
“We know some people would like to see more money being distributed immediately,” the organisation said in a statement.
“We are working hard to balance speed of response with making sure the fund is being used in the most effective way possible and has an impact where it’s needed most. We are connecting with multiple organisations across the North Island to make this happen.”
Red Cross also addressed concerns about a perceived lack of ground staff in Hawke’s Bay.
Hawke’s Bay Today has received correspondence from several who have been involved in flood clean-up, who noted they hadn’t seen a Red Cross worker since the cyclone hit.
“As a support agency, our core role is directed through the lead agency in each impacted area. When these roles are no longer needed, we ‘stand down’ and out-of-town team members return home,” the statement said.
“We still have Disaster Welfare and Support Team members on the ground in Hawke’s Bay, in addition to the permanent presence we have in our Napier and Hastings service centres, branches and Napier Red Cross shop.”
The statement said on Thursday, Red Cross had team members at the Puketapu, Bay View and Esk Valley hubs, providing psychosocial support throughout the day while also carrying out follow-up visits.
One team was with a mobile hub, visiting affected people in Twyford and Pākōwhai, and two community meetings were attended where psychosocial support was provided. It was estimated that there were 300 people in attendance across both meetings.
“While our teams on the ground may get smaller over the coming weeks (at the discretion of the lead agency), a large portion of the New Zealand Red Cross team is committed full-time to processing and planning work associated with the New Zealand Disaster Fund,” the statement said.
“We will be actively helping over the coming months, working with local organisations across Hawke’s Bay to understand what help is needed and how we can make a difference.”
Red Cross said it wanted to reinforce the fact that the fund would reach where it is needed.
It said it would distribute funds “quickly, fairly and in ways that help impacted communities”, allocating them based on where the needs were greatest.
It also vowed to continue partnering with local and central Government, iwi, community, businesses and others to build capability, provide resources and prepare communities for future emergencies.
