The Victorian Farmers Federation, VFF, has donated $50,000 to BlazeAid to help regional communities continue to recover from last year’s floods.
BlazeAid is a registered charity who supports survivors of natural disasters such as fire and floods by restoring properties, lifting the spirits of survivors and rebuilding destroyed or damaged structures.
VFF president Emma Germano said the funds donated to BlazeAid were raised earlier this year through the VFF Disaster Relief Fund.
“Farmers and regional communities are still picking up the pieces, months after record floods devastated so many,” she said.
The funding has already been allocated to farmers who had their properties and fencing damaged.
According to Agriculture Victoria, about 12,000 kilometres of fencing and 498,600 hectares of farm area was affected by the floods last year.
While many of the impacts from the floods are physically visible, Ms Germano acknowledged the mental health burden that could be hidden in the aftermath.
She encouraged farmers to reach out for support through programs such as Building Farm Spirit offered by the National Centre for Farmer Health.
“They offer a range of video, podcast and other resources to support farmer wellbeing and mental health. They also offer online psychology support delivered by farmer trained psychologists,” she said.
Ms Germano said the recovery time would likely stretch into years after the months already spent getting back on track to ensure adequate support was available to those in need.
“It’s about ensuring both financial and mental health support is available for those who need to get back on their feet,” she said.
