Give in an emergency

Queensland flood updates and appeals

Premier's Flood Relief Appeal

The Queensland Government has launched an appeal to help those affected by the recent floods. You can donate to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal online at www.givenow.com.au/qldfloods or phone 1800 219 028.

You may also make an electronic funds transfer, as per the details below:

Account Name: Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal - QLD Flooding

Bank/Branch: Westpac Banking Corporation - Brisbane Office

BSB Number: 034 002

Account number: 954903

(SWIFT code for international donations: WPACAU2s)

Donations can also be made in person at:

Playgroup Association of Queensland Flood Appeal

The Playgroup Association of Queensland is keen to assist playgroup families and toy libraries in Ingham and surrounding flood affected areas by replacing toys and equipment that have been damaged due to the rising waters.

Click here to donate.

Mosman Junior Rugby Club

Mosman Junior Rugby Club have seen the devastating impact of the floods in Dalby (both before Christmas and now again in the latest deluge) and want to help their friends in the Dalby Junior Rugby Club in meeting the challenges to recover from these floods. Help them out by donating to their appeal.

Click here to donate.

Save & Protect the P.R.E. Horses affected by the floods

The Asociacion de Caballos de Pura Raza Espanola Australia's mission is to protect & preserve the Pure Raza Espanol (PRE) horse in Australia. It is being initiated now in response to the needs of horses affected in the Queensland floods, for care now and into the future.

Funds will be used to assist with feeding, veterinary care and suitable stabling and paddocking of P.R.E. Horses, in the situation where their owners are no longer able to provide the required welfare levels and care for the P.R.E. horse/s in Australia.

Click here to donate.

Fridges for Flooded Families Appeal

The Gold Coast Titans Community Foundation aims to purchase new fridge s at wholesale cost and get those fridges to the families affected by the Floods .

Click here to donate.

Volunteer your time

Volunteering Queensland is collecting offers of help for those affected by the floods. Tens of thousands of people have already offered their voluntary assistance.

Volunteering Queensland advises that the recovery efforts will be slow and complex, and many volunteers will be needed over coming weeks and months.

The organisation is in continual contact with key disaster management agencies and will notify registered volunteers as new opportunities to help become available.

To offer your assistance, call the Community Response to Extreme Weather (CREW) Team on 1800 994 100 or register online at www.emergencyvolunteering.com.au (be aware that the website is very busy so may be slow to load) .

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has called on Brisbane residents to "put their shoulders to the wheel and get involved in what will be the biggest community clean-up since 1974.

''Everyone can contribute in some way and I ask residents not affected by the flooding to think about grabbing a shovel, putting on their safety gear and lending a hand to Brisbane's flooding victims," he said.

Cr Newman asked that volunteers who come out to help in the clean-up efforts be mindful of their own safety and ensure they wear appropriate clothing and boots and bring insect repellent , hats and gloves. Volunteers should try to bring their own tools - shovels, wheelbarrows, etc. - if possible.

He said volunteers should always seek permission before entering a property. Read the story here.

Offer heavy equipment

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has asked that people with heavy equipment such as Bobcats and earth movers email him directly at " lordmayor@brisbane.qld.gov.au " .

''I ... urge anyone who owns a Bobcat, dump truck, front-end loader, water tanker or other heavy equipment or plant to give us a hand with the clean-up,'' he said.

Other non-financial donations

At this time, the Queensland Government is inviting financial donations only. The Premier's Flood Relief Appeal cannot accept donations of goods or services.

Relief organisations are also advising that they can only accept cash donations for the flood victims at this time.

Salvation Army spokesperson Major Glenn Whittaker < a href = "http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/cash-needed-not-goods-salvos-say/story-fn7ikbtj-1225986481219"> told the Herald Sun that cash donations would allow the organisation to aid the community immediately and would allow the people affected to "recover with dignity by purchasing items they need most which, in turn, injects much-needed funds into the local economy".

Brisbane City Council has also advise d residents that its Evacuation Centres can no longer receive donations of goods and is asking residents who wish to donate items to assist with the flood relief efforts to now drop them to their local charity stores.

Pass the word via Facebook

Time to use online social networking for good not evil . Join the < a href = "http://www.causes.com/causes/564093-queensland-floods-appeal"> Queensland Flood Appeal's Causes page and let all your Facebook friends know about it.

Tax information

As the floods meet the requirements of the deductible gift recipient (DGR) category 'Australian disaster relief fund', the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has advised that organisations can apply for DGR endorsement for relevant appeals .

For more information visit the ATO website at www.ato.gov.au or click here to go to the ATO's floods information page.

Scamwatch

The Federal Government's SCAMwatch initiative is warning consumers to thoroughly check the legitimacy of charities when donating to help flood victims in central and south-east Queensland.

"Whilst many legitimate charities exist, scammers have been known to take advantage of the public's generosity and kindness in the aftermath of disastrous events," the organisation says. "Recent charity scams emerged during the Haiti earthquake crisis in 2010 and the Victorian bushfires in 2009."

Advice on how to avoid a charity scam can be found here.

Note that all organisations and appeals listed for donations on GiveNow.com.au are properly constituted and have obtained all necessary authorities to fundraise. We check the credentials of every group that is listed to receive donations.

Westpac flood response

The Westpac Group will be contributing $1 million to support relief and recovery activities in the flood devastated areas of Brisbane and the broader South-East Queensland region. A temporary Mobile Banking Centre at Brisbane's primary flood evacuation precinct has been set up to allow basic banking transactions and cashing emergency relief cheques.

Westpac has put together a special flood relief package giving immediate financial assistance to customers affected by the Queensland floods:

For more information visit the Westpac website by clicking here, or call Westpac Assist on 1800 067 497 8am - 8pm AEST or Westpac Business Assist on 1800 067 497 8am - 6pm AEST.

Something we missed?

More information about flood appeals and other ways to help will be posted here as it becomes available.

If you have information you would like to be included on this page, please email to hannahs@ourcommunity.com.au