The flood waters have all but receded here in Brisvegas, or Brisvenice as I heard it called the other day. As well as the damage to homes and businesses there is a significant amount of damage to public infrastructure including our beautiful parks and gardens. It was sad to see on the weekend the plants covered in a thick layer of toxic mud.

I am pleased to report that Northey Street City Farm (http://www.nscf.org.au) actually faired a lot better than the 1974 flood, thanks in part to forward planning (the office is now on stilts) and the work of many who took items home or moved them to higher ground. Almost all the chickens made it, which was a relief to many associated with the farm. The weekend saw a big cleanup and the regular Organic Markets even managed to go ahead on Sunday.

The immediate crisis is over for Brisbane (can’t say the same for other parts of the country . . . good luck out there) and now the recovery begins. Our leaders have made it clear we have gone from a disaster management phase into a recovery phase and that the hard work is only just beginning. The key phrase of the last few days has been “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. The danger is that people will lose their early enthusiasm for the recovery effort and slip into apathy or depression as the task starts to appear insurmountable.

The generosity of people around SE QLD has been overwhelming with some opening up their houses to strangers, those that can mucking in with mops and brooms and others baking food for the workers. Regardless of individual circumstances or abilities there seems to be something that everyone can do. The concern now is that they will become sick or injured as a result, thus further stretching our already thin resources.

To many people the natural environment is the last thing on their mind and I can understand why but I think it is a mistake to ignore the psychological importance of restoring those aspects of our city. If we don’t attend to the parks and gardens they may be OK in the short term but long term will struggle to recover on their own. Just as a healthy culture is the sign of a healthy workplace I believe that healthy gardens are the sign of a healthy society. So if you are out there looking for a way to help why not consider going to a local park or garden and seeing what you can do to give the plants a chance to recover.

Tags: Crisis management, Employee morale, Flood recovery, www.nscf.org.au