Northern Rivers Flood Disaster

Beck Rocchi and Joel Olsen are just like any other young family that calls the Northern Rivers home, with one small exception - they were fortunate enough not to lose everything in the floods that have devastated their close-knit community.

Never ones to sit on the sidelines and watch, they have instead given up time away from their businesses (Beck a wedding photographer, and Joel, a Myothetapist) and two young children and have literally been pounding the pavement shopping for whatever the evacuation centres tell them they need that day - be it shovels, bleach, gloves, tampons or chainsaws - Beck and Joel have been driving to what sometimes feels like the ends of the earth, filling their van with these life-saving essentials and putting them straight into the hands of the people who need it most. Just yesterday they were able to give ten families power again in Corakai by purchasing them all a generator to run off.

How can they continue to do this? By raising money through their go-fund-me 'Northern Rivers Flood Disaster'. To date, they have raised almost $65,000 - and not a single penny of that has been caught up in government bureaucracy. Beck and Joel are grateful for every dollar they have received thus far, but still have so much more good they can do, and only ask, if your situation allows, to please donate what you can.

The husband and wife duo responding directly to the needs of the Northern Rivers communities who have been affected by the floods. If you are not able to physically be here to lend a hand, your donations will enable us to provide more supplies to those who need it.

 

With no support from any sort of aid we have taken it into our own hands to join the amazing community of volunteers and make a difference.

Please donate to us so we can continue to do good for our community! The area affected by these flood is HUGE.

 

 

Your money will be buying the following things:

Equipment: Water vacuums, high pressure hoses, Shovels, Chainsaws, Crow Bars, Machetes, Burner Stoves, Gas bottles, rope, Jerry cans, petrol, gaffa tape, stanley knives, mops.

Medical: Epi Pens, Ventilators, Antihistamine, Pain killers, First Aid Kits, Antiseptic, Baby & Kids paracetemol, bandaids

Babies & Kids: Formula, nappies, wipes, dummies, squeezie packs, sudocream & toys

Clothing: New underwear & socks.

Food: Meals in cans, pasta & sauces, crackers, muesli bars, breakfast cereals, longlife milk, tea & coffee,

Sanitary: Shampoo & conditioner, body soap, personal hygeine, deoderant, toothbrushes, razors.

 

 

Our Story:

We live in Suffolk park with our 2 kids Luna (4) & Ziggy(1) Joel is a Myotherapist (deep tissue massage & body work) and works from a space inside Nimbis. Beck is a wedding photographer and travels the globe shooting weddings. We started helping the morning of the collections / donations and have not been able to stop ever since!

 

We have been doing a range of things including:

 

- Getting specific lists from Mullumbimby Civic Centre (the evacuation hub) of exactly what they need, and then trawling the shops (of what is left in our small town) to buy the requested items and delivering them back to them. (Hardware stores, pharmacies, supermarkets etc.) Some of these items include: Water vacuums, Chainsaws, Machete's, Epi Pens,Ventalin, Antihistamine, burner stoves, good quality shovels, rope, hiking gear, torches, stanley knifes & candles.

With no phone signal in Mullum and Byron (due to the Telstra towers being down by the floods) we have no communication with anyone once we leave our home in Suffolk Park. AND sometimes having to withdraw cash to pay for items as eftpos has been down in both Mullum and Byron.

 

- Working directly with many social workers in the Lismore region to feed their mentally challenged, disabled and elderly displaced clients. Making homemade food and family packs including breakfast, lunch & dinner. These people are unable to get food and supplies and need assistance in general life let alone the shock and trauma of recovering from a catastrophic disaster. The menu included Soups, Frittata, Quiche, Bliss Balls, Trail Mix, Fresh Fruit and of corse - WATER!

 

- Hitting the streets in Lismore with homemade nourishing food in the back of our car and feeding the many people challenged by the phenomenal and heart wrenching clean up. The flood water went through their homes - some as high as the ceiling on the second story of their Queenslanders!

 

- Transporting loads of essentials from the Byron Bay collection points (St Finbars church & C3 church) to Mullum using our truck. Byron had no petrol for 48 hours which made it very scary doing this as we were so worried we would run out! Items we were transporting included: Sleeping mattress, blankets, towels, sheets, clothing, toys, food, sanitary items, medical supplies and of corse the biggest one - WATER!

 

- Making maps and printing hundreds for the people of Mullum as they have no internet and the volunteers need to know where to go to deliver boxes of food / water / offer their cleaning services.

 

- Delivering ready made meals and supplies packed by the Mullum civic centre to specific families who have lost everything but the clothes on their back.

 

Please support us financially so we can help those affected xx