Floods in South-East Queensland rendered large numbers of people homeless, including many of our student population who live in St Lucia and the surrounding suburbs of Yeronga, West End, Fairfield and Rocklea.
As the situation deteriorated rapidly on Sunday 27 February, staff at Student Central in St Lucia mobilised a range of support mechanisms to make sure staff and students had access to water, food, support, charging, bedding, transport and access to temporary accommodation until their homes were accessible again.
The enormity of the local flooding became apparent over the week with large numbers of students arriving at Student Central seeking shelter until they could safely return home or relocate.
The development of Student Central was a direct result of the existing need for a central, comfortable and safe place for students to meet, ask questions, engage with the University and seek support. True to its core purpose, Student Central adapted to the increased needs of students and the wider UQ community by extended its opening hours, providing food parcels for pick up and access to showers while consult rooms were transformed into temporary rest spaces helping to continue our strong sense of community and comradery during this difficult time.
For some students this was their third or fourth week in a new country away from their usual support networks.
With many unable to return home within the week the search for temporary housing commenced.
Andrea Strachan, a local resident, and Director of Student Services, was the first on scene:
"It really was grim in those early few days with students really quite terrified of what was happening, being in such a new environment"
"Student Central really became the hub for students and staff living in St Lucia who could not go home,"
"We leveraged the University's relationship with Atira, Scape and Student One to secure temporary accommodation for up to two weeks for around 370 students and 11 staff."
In the absence of public transport, shuttle buses to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre were also operated, allowing those remaining in their homes to obtain groceries. Many without power opted to head into Student Central for their daily fix of showering, power, food and support until their power was restored.
The UQ Union and Library also provided support through free meals and access to study spots. While at Gatton, campus staff camped out at the UQ Gatton Motel and worked around the clock for three nights during the floods, providing food to students living on campus, moving animals to dryer spots and making sure the buildings were safe.
Focus during the coming days and weeks will be on assisting people to return to repaired accommodation or in finding a new place to live. Staff and students affected by flooding are asked to email student.services@uq.edu.au or call 07 3365 1704 for help and support.
Student Central has since returned to normal service hours and the team looks forward to continuing to help students with their support, employability and student administrative needs.
