(Brisbane, Australia) Volunteer Ministers (VMs) from Australia and the United States are coming together in Brisbane to aid the victims of flooding in the north eastern part of the country.   

In late December 2010 and early January 2011, three quarters of the state of Queensland was inundated by rainfall so heavy it occurs only once in every 100 years. The resultant floods have caused an estimated 1 billion Australian dollars in damage.

Not all areas of Queensland’s capital, Brisbane, were affected by the flooding but in the low-lying areas the water reached to the rooftops of homes and cleanup is expected to take some time.    

The Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Cambell Newman, said that the Brisbane Municipal Council, “…has been humbled by the response we have received from people wanting to help. My message to everyone however is this clean-up is a marathon, not a race.”

The Volunteer Ministers who surveyed the flood’s aftermath are prepared to help as long as necessary as they begin handling the piles of debris and water-soaked belongings that dot the landscape. In addition to conducting cleanup operations, the VMs are providing support in the form of food, drink and counselling to both victims and relief-effort volunteers.  

For more than three decades, Scientology Volunteer Ministers, have responded to calls for assistance. Whether at the scene of major disasters or simply in helping family members get back into communication with each other, Volunteer Ministers operate by the motto given the organization by Founder L. Ron Hubbard: “Something can be done about it.”