Digging deep for Townsville flood victims

Twin Towns raises $25,000 for flood appeal.

HELPING HANDS: Twin Towns Community Foundation secretary Dr John Griffin and Salvation Army Philanthropy Team Leader Derek Brown . Picture: Rick Koenig

WHILE the monsoon season may be behind North Queenslanders for another year, many Townsville residents continue to count the costs of the catastrophic floods in February.

At the time, a call went out for fellow Queenslanders to dig deep to support the flood appeals and help out their northern neighbours.

Although just a few metres shy of the Queensland border, it didn't stop Twin Towns from chipping in $25,000 on behalf of members.

The donation was made to The Salvation Army Flood Appeal by the Twin Towns Community Foundation and will be specifically allocated towards assisting flood-affected members of the Townsville community.

Some months on from the floods, The Salvation Army continues to deploy around 16 staff a day into Townsville to work within five recovery hubs and outreach teams.

Twin Towns Community Foundation secretary Dr John Griffin said the work of The Salvation Army in North Queensland was ongoing.

"There is no clear indication yet of a conclusion date and already The Salvation Army has assisted over 2,000 families and provided over $1M in financial assistance to flood-affected people and families,” he said.

"We hope this donation from Twin Towns will help ease some of the burdens the floods have caused to the people of Townsville, as they get on with rebuilding their lives, and their livelihoods, in the wake of this natural disaster.”

Salvation Army Philanthropy Team Leader Derek Brown said Twin Towns had supported The Salvation Army through every major natural disaster since the Victorian bushfires in 2013.

"The foundation's generous financial support, totalling $375,000 during these seven years, has given thousands of Australians hope where it's needed most in the midst of some of our biggest natural disasters,” Mr Brown said.