In August 2022, associate professor Karleen Gribble, Surf Beach doctor Michelle Hamrosi and business owner Kate Turtiainen set out to hear from parents of young children who were impacted by the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires that ravaged NSW.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
One year on, the Babies and Young Children in the Black Summer Study (BiBS), the first of its kind in Australia, has uncovered that mothers of very young children were disproportionately impacted by the disaster.
256 parents of children aged 0 to 4 and 63 emergency responders were surveyed for the study, which was nationally launched in partnership with the Australian Breastfeeding Association and Western Sydney University on June 26.
Dr Hamrosi, who specialises in paediatrics and breastfeeding, said they found 25 per cent of families with young children evacuated without the resources they needed to care for their children.
It was also found that 65 per cent of families had no emergency plans before the bushfires, and unpreparedness meant families evacuated later than they had hoped.
"One of the evacuation centres...we'd requested formula to be sent across, they sent one tin. So we had multiple families dipping in and scooping out of this one tin...it was just an absolute health and safety nightmare."
- BiBS study respondent
Research manager at the Australian Breastfeeding Association Naomi Hull said the research was conducted knowing that Australia lacked proper emergency planning to meet the needs of families with very young children.
READ MORE:
"The BiBS study has confirmed this gap in disaster support for parents with babies and toddlers across emergency preparedness, emergency response and disaster recovery," she said.
Ms Hull said mothers often evacuated with their babies and toddlers on their own to large, overcrowded evacuation centres.
"Resources for caring for very young children in evacuation venues were often absent."
The study was discussed at the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens, which was devastated by the bushfires on December 31, 2019. Project and research lead Dr Gribble and community engagement officer Dr Hamrosi presented the findings to the bushfire-affected community.
"We think that this report is going to make a real difference across Australia and even internationally," Dr Gribble said.
The study recommended that evacuation centres should provide an area for parents and caregivers of very young children separate from the general population.
Dr Gribble concluded that the emergency response to very young children and their caregivers in Australia is "inadequate".
"Some mothers were so focused on keeping their children safe that they did not eat or drink properly and two of the five pregnant women we interviewed fainted while queuing during the bushfires. Mothers needed help but many did not get the support they needed."
- Dr Karleen Gribble
She said children and their mothers are "bearing the brunt" of the risk and action should be taken to ensure better support for children, mothers and caregivers.
"Until now, the experiences and needs of families with very young children during emergencies have been largely invisible and overlooked," Dr Gribble said.
"As a result, we don't have good emergency planning for infants and young children in Australia. But this report is hoping to change that."
The report can be found at breastfeeding.asn.au.
Love your regional news? Then sign up for the Voice of Real Australia, news from across the country delivered free to your inbox
Megan McClelland
Megan McClelland is a journalist for Australian Community Media working in the Eurobodalla. Email: megan.mcclelland@austcommunitymedia.com.au Mobile: 0448194726
Megan McClelland is a journalist for Australian Community Media working in the Eurobodalla. Email: megan.mcclelland@austcommunitymedia.com.au Mobile: 0448194726
