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Rachel Lang
A team of four Sikhs have driven more than 1,600km across Australia to feed families in devastated communities that have been reeling following severe flooding in northern NSW.
The members from Sikh Volunteers Australia drove 34 hours from Melbourne to Lismore to set up in local kitchens and provide food and essential services to families in need.
The team initially planned to head to Brisbane but realised communities in Lismore and its surrounding towns needed their support.
They left Victoria at 6am and arrived at their destination at 4am the following day. They have been preparing fresh meals for Lismore ever since.
Jaswinder Singh from Sikh Volunteers Australia told the ABC that the team will be based at Woolgoolga Sikh temple and will cook 1,500 meals for those in need.
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"We are cooking curry and rice because that is the fastest thing we can make," he said.
"We are working with our local contacts to move safely around the region. We want to deliver meals to Lismore, Grafton and Woodburn."
While they are a team of four, more volunteers are expected to arrive to provide aid in the coming days as airports open.
"Volunteering is part of Sikh culture," Mr Singh said. "It gives us a higher purpose and meaning."
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The Sikh volunteers have been welcomed by the community with open arms, as locals start to come to terms with the sheer volume of work needed to rebuild their lives after the deluge.
"The feeling of community here is hard to describe," Mr Singh said. "This is my first time here [on the north coast] and I feel like I have been welcomed into a family."
You can donate money to the Sikhs working in Lismore here.
More than 700mm of rainfall fell in the Lismore region in just 30 hours. Four people have died.
Grocery stores are now critically low on essential supplies and supermarkets have introduced purchase limits on certain products including meat and toilet paper across the region.
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Across the Lismore region, 62,000 people have been impacted by the floods after 17 evacuation orders were issued.
Residents and emergency services worked to evacuate stranded neighbours, with police rescuing a 93-year-old woman from her flooded Lismore home.
She was found lying on a floating mattress with just 20cm between her and the ceiling.
She was pulled from her home on a boogie board, through an open window and onto a rescue boat.
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NSW police minister Paul Toole said this incredible rescue was just one example of the courage shown by residents, emergency services, and volunteers.
“There are dozens of similar stories across all emergency services personnel working alongside members of the public to save lives,” he said.
“This is the true meaning of community, and I am thankful to every police officer, every volunteer, every community member who has helped. There is no doubt in my mind that these acts of bravery have saved countless lives.”