Locals start a Go Fund Me page for Cyclone Debbie victims
Tracey Lord has lived in the Whitsundays for 28 years and in that time, she has never been through a weather event quite like Cyclone Debbie.
by inge.hansen
Inge Hansen
1st Apr 2017 5:25 PM
"I've been through every cyclone which has come through here and it's the first time I've experienced one that's been this intense and this slow to move anywhere," she said.
After seeing the damage the category 4 cyclone caused, she and other Whitsunday residents want to do their bit to help the community which is why the Facebook page, Volunteer Whitsundays was created.
Former Whitsunday local, Jo Sweeney created the page which, since its inception, has gained more than 300 members.
Ms Lord said she then decided to create a Go Fund Me page to raise money to buy useful items for the community clean up.
Since creating the page this morning, more than $800 has been raised.
"There's all these people who are on their own, they can't loft big trees and none of us can clean up when we're on our own," she said.
"What we want to do is find out who needs help and help them.
"They can post on (the page) and say they want help or they can post on the page and say they can help."
The money would be used to buy items including gloves, a chainsaw, petrol and other essential items.
"When this is all over we might be able to donate the goods to people who need them," she said.
In another attempt to boost awareness of the struggles Whitsunday locals are facing, Pablo Hauber-Six of Th3rd Dimension media decided to gather a few locals and business owners and film them making a call out for donations.
"We were out yesterday working and we were hungry and coming back from (filming) and we were handed lunch and food and we were amazed by the support," he said.
"They're putting their hearts and souls into it and helping as much as they can so we wondered what we could do to help from a media perspective.
"We can raise awareness through social media and online so that sparked the idea to put the information out there that Airlie Beach is here and we're ready to rock and roll."
You can visit Volunteer Whitsundays at www.facebook.com/groups/volunteerwhitsundays and make a donation via www.gofundme.com/cyclone-debbie-volunteers.
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