On Thursday, 3 August, Visionwest hosted the official release event for its latest Impact Report, The Visionwest Flood and Cyclone Report, a complete account of the Trust’s emergency response following Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s catastrophic weather events in the first couple of months of 2023.
The Report records how Visionwest, a community organisation, responded to this emergency with urgency and efficiency and provides observations on various aspects of the response.
With the tagline, ‘It takes a community to help a community,’ the Report recognises the many agencies, organisations and individuals who were a part of the flood response in Tāmaki Makaurau and acknowledges the importance of working together in events of this magnitude.
In particular, the report reveals how many community organisations, such as Visionwest, are organised and equipped to respond almost immediately to such events because their everyday work involves reaching out to and walking alongside those experiencing hardships such as needing accommodation or food support.
Within hours of the Anniversary Weekend flooding, Visionwest team members worked with others to provide for the needs of those displaced from their homes. In these initial hours and the following days, the immediate needs were shelter, food, and dry clothing. Over the coming weeks, a range of other needs became evident.
Visionwest’s journey with those most severely affected by the flooding has included the provision of wraparound support services, including food support, help with finding accommodation, budgeting and personal finance help, replacement of lost household goods and appliances, transport following the loss of vehicles, and counselling and support through trauma.
As an organisation, Visionwest expects to respond to the needs generated by weather events for years to come.
For the full Report, click here.
