THE Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund (GERF) has experienced a promising start to its fundraising efforts to support Gippslanders affected by the October fire and flood events.

GERF president, Andy Tegart, said that Gippslanders had always been great at helping each other out, especially after disasters, and the new ‘Fire & Flood Appeal’ was another great example of that.

“Thanks to donations from the public we’re off to a good start, but we have a good way to go,” Mr Tegart said.

“Some larger local companies have stepped up behind us. Marinus Link, Star of the South and AGL, are good examples of those who have donated early.”

GERF has been supporting Gippsland residents impacted by natural disaster since 1978 and is run completely by volunteers.

“We’re aiming to raise funds to give a helping hand, we’ve done that for 45 years,” Mr Tegart said.

“Assessments are underway by municipal recovery managers and we would like to be in a position to respond promptly when referrals for financial assistance come through.

“It is most unusual for us to run an appeal for both fire and flood victims at the same time.

“The forecast conditions for the coming fire season may also draw on GERF support for impacted residents in Gippsland.”

Referrals and claims for support started to come in last week.

Mr Tegart said the fires, the largest of which was in Briagolong, affected about 20 farms and four homes.

“And in terms of the flood side of it, we were very concerned about the flooding of the three main river systems, the Mitchell, the Thomson and the Macalister,” he told the Gippsland Times.

“The Macalister one for Wellington showed the significant impact when record rains fell into that catchment. There were damaged homes … and horticulture and dairy farmers in particular were impacted.

“But I don’t think we have a good feel of the extent of the damage … so we’re still trying to assess that need.”

GERF encourages those who were affected to reach Wellington Shire Council Recovery teams, who will assist. Relief services can also be provided to people with a range of different needs. GERF’s relief fund is just one option for support. The VicEmergency website also has information on payments available for those affected by the fires and floods.

“Based on those referrals (by council), those people (affected) are in the best position to figure out the best way for recovery. This may include fencing to keep their stock in,” Mr Tegart said.

“We want to empower people who know what assistance they need. We’re just part of the puzzle.

“We’ve had communication with Blaze Aid, another charity. They’re hoping for more volunteers and we can support them.”

Wellington Shire Council Mayor, Ian Bye welcomed GERF’s new appeal to support Gippslanders affected by these significant emergency events.

“The Wellington community is a resilient bunch, and in times like this we know that communities will come together and support each other, especially when conditions continue to change so quickly,” Cr Bye said.

“The Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund has facilitated over $19 million worth of emergency resources and funding to Gippslanders for over 40 years, and we fully endorse the Fire & Flood Appeal.”

Cr Bye told the Gippsland Times that everyone involved would learn what they can from this month’s emergencies.

“Emergency services will get together, they’ll do a debrief on what happened and figure out what they can do to improve with our communities. That always occurs,” he said.

Donations to the appeal can be easily made via the GERF website at gerf.org.au and all donations over $2.00 are tax deductible.

People can phone Wellington Shire Council on 1300 366 244 or go to Wellington.vic.gov.au/community/emergency-management