Natural disaster relief
As climate change takes hold, major natural disasters are impacting communities around the world. The Foundation supports communities respond to, and recover from, disasters.
The 2019/20 bushfires in Australia left a devastating imprint on all of us. As part of a $6.5 million pledge to support Australian communities, the Goodman Foundation worked with the NSW Rural Firefighting Service addressing a need to provide a state-of-the art specialised helicopter to combat fires and work in flood zones.
The Foundation has also provided disaster relief in Europe and Australia in response to major floods. The Red Cross stepped in to respond to floods in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in 2021 with support from the Foundation.
When floods once again impacted Australia, the helicopter, donated to the NSW Rural Fire Service by the Foundation in 2021, had its first deployment helping local authorities in the State’s west after flooding in Forbes. Between coming into service in October 2021 and September 2022, the helicopter has flown over 190 hours participating in over 130 operations and continues to support flood relief.
Goodman took further action when floods in Queensland, New South Wales and Central Australia left thousands without housing, income or clothing. We turned to our partners and their networks, asking how we could best help them provide the emergency response needed on the ground.
One of these partners, Good360 Australia, has been working hard throughout the Australian floods. Good360 connects the right goods to the right people at the right time during all stages of a disaster, supporting affected communities with the essential items they need. Our funding in previous years helped Good360 establish disaster recovery capabilities.