The plight of a mother struggling to sanitise baby bottles in a bushfire evacuation centre toilet is contributing to research to ensure very young children’s needs are not overlooked in disaster preparation efforts.
“It was gastro waiting to happen,” said Red Cross emergency services volunteer Pam Halnon, who met the young mother in a Mallacoota evacuation centre in 2020 during the Black Summer bushfires. “She was trying to clean her baby’s bottles in cold water in a shared bathroom that was simply not suited to the task – but she couldn’t see any other options,” Ms Halnon said.
Ms Halnon, who is also a trained Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) counsellor, was able to swing into action to support that mother and other parents at the centre who were struggling to meet a range of needs.
“We found there was more information advising people how to care for their pets in a disaster than there was about breast- and bottle-fed babies and other children under five,” she said. “Breast-feeding mothers were also facing difficulties.
The upheaval of a disaster can make babies fussy and unsettled and mothers can interpret that as meaning that there is a problem with their milk supply — so they need support to keep breast-feeding.”
Ms Halnon is now contributing to the Community protection for infants and young children in bushfire emergencies project. “Have suitable food and medication in your emergency box, particularly for children with allergies as specialist food is rarely available at evacuation centres, and some favourite toys can help keep little ones who don’t really understand what is happening happier in difficult circumstances,” Ms Hanlan said.
Red Cross National Resilience Advisor John Richardson said everyone should consider acting now to plan ahead for possible disasters.
“Take a look at our free emergency preparation resources, where you will find steps to create your own emergency plan, download the Red Cross Get Prepared App, fill in your own emergency Redi plan, learn how to help manage stress, and more.