[SLOW-MO GR] All About the Drought! 11-17 Feb

[missep]

 Hi everyone!

The drought has affected thousands of Australians, it is a very important topic for us to discuss! 

Here are a few handy resources! 

Emma's Story of the Drought and Community Spirit

Coping With Stress From The Drought

Drought Support Services

We will be discussing how people were affected, what can we do to help, some ways we saved water, planning for future droughts and the link between environmental changes and mental health. 

Join us soon starting Monday February 11 to have a chat about the drought that has impacted so many of us!

We will also get to see some photos taken by @Bee! I definitely want to see them!

[nyke]

Man, the irony hits hard for me! I come from tropical QLD where communities are experiencing unprecedented flooding right this moment haha. Unfortunately, you only have to drive a few 100kms out west, and you can see a massive different the environment. It's crazy.

[missep]

so true @nyke
It is shocking how drastic the change in environment can be when you drive somewhere else!

[missep]

Hi everyone!
I'm here to post the first question of our very important Slow Mo GR!
The first question is:

 How were people affected by the drought?

@scared01 @nyke @Bee @N1ghtW1ng @Libellule @JanaG Would love to know your thoughts!  

[missep]

 How were people affected by the drought?

So many people were affected! Especially farmers and their animals. It was so heartbreaking to see that they didn't have the resources to feed their animals and they were really suffering.

[JanaG]

Hey @missep

Thanks for posting the question! Honestly this isn't something I know much about. Super keen to see what other people will post. I guess there were financial impacts on farmers who could not produce crops anymore. And I'm assuming lots of emotional stress about trying to provide for themselves and their families. 

[Libellule]

How are people affected by the drought? 

There have been so many consequences of the drought! @missep @JanaG you both make great points in that financial burden and animal welfare are pretty bad during a drought. 

@nyke its so sad to see a lot of Australia in distress! Floods in queensland, serious droughts in rural parts of Australia, and fires in Tasmania are so pressing right now. Australia has been subject to some of the worst droughts in history, with the 2018 one being the worst on record in 400 years, and remote areas of Australia right now experiencing record low rainfall! 

If anyone is interested in reading an open access scientific article on the emotional effects of droughts in Aus, here is a super interesting one!  It must be so stressful to have your livelihood being destroyed  

Eager to hear from people's lived experience on this matter! 

[May_]

Hey ya'll!

How were people affected by the drought?
I can't imagine how difficult it must be for the people and animals living in areas affected by it and other extreme weather conditions. I also don't know too much about it so keen to read people's responses. I know it has caused a lot of financial and emotional hardship as others have mentioned - and huge burdens on those who's crops or animals haven't survived. I also know many animals have suffered through the extreme conditions

[Bee]

Our second question for this weeks GR
What can we do to help? E.g. how do we raise awareness or what kind of
foundations can we donate to?


@scared01 @nyke @missep @N1ghtW1ng @Libellule @JanaG @Libellule @Saltwaterdreamtime @Jay-RO

[Libellule]

What can we do to help? E.g. how do we raise awareness or what kind of
foundations can we donate to?

This is such an important question! I think a small thing people can do is talk to one another about it. People tend to overlook how just talking to your family and friends about issues can help spread a message. I don't know of any drought specific foundations but if people know of anyone that do address this issue would be great!