6 new Disaster Relief Supply Points boost disaster preparedness across Queensland

Queensland is Australia’s most disaster-prone state and has been hit by almost 100 natural disasters in the past decade[1]. When a disaster strikes, the speed of response is critical. After four years building Amazon’s Disaster Relief program and delivering more than 700,000 relief items to people in need around Australia, we’ve learnt that distributing aid to affected communities in Queensland can be a challenge – especially when extreme weather events result in road closures.

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That’s why we’ve launched a new network of six new Disaster Relief Supply Points in partnership with the Australian Red Cross and Foodbank Queensland. The sites strategically located in Cairns, Wangetti, Townsville, Rockhampton, Dalby, and St George, store over 55,000 emergency items including toiletries, blankets, tarps, first aid kits and non-perishable food items that are packed into kits and a pre-positioned to be dispatched quickly when a disaster hits.

Here’s a closer look at the new network:

Located in the Community Enterprise Queensland distribution centre in Cairns City, the site stores over 12,000 relief items ready to be distributed to the regional centre and surrounds.

The coastal town of Wangetti located 40 minutes north of Cairns, helps us connect to the Far North Queensland region when the Captain Cook highway is closed. Located at the Mayi Markets, over 12,000 relief items are housed onsite.

Prone to severe weather events like cyclones, Townsville is the perfect launch pad for distribution to regional and remote communities on the lower Queensland gulf. The Adventist Development Relief Association is home to over 12,000 essential items, ready to be dispatched.

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Bushfires, heatwaves and floods are common disasters that can occur in the Rockhampton region, which is why we’re working with the St Vincent de Paul Society to store almost 5,000 items in the Central Queensland centre.

Perched on the banks of the Balonne River, the regional town of St George is prone to the risk of flooding. Our new Supply Point will see over 8,000 critical supplies stored in the Goodnir Health Services building to provide faster relief.

Over 8,000 emergency items are stored at the Goondir Health Services building in Dalby – located in Queensland’s Western Downs. The site, will service Dalby and surrounds – an area at risk of flooding and fires.

[1] Australian Business Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities