BY MATTHEW MILNE, RAMHP COORDINATOR
When floods sweep through rural and regional NSW, the damage isn’t just physical. While homes, farms and infrastructure may be washed away, so too can a community’s emotional foundations. When communities face such overwhelming disaster, mental health support becomes as vital as the physical re-building.
RAMHP plays an important role in recovery, linking flood‑affected individuals and communities to appropriate mental health services and resources as well as providing the knowledge and education for resilience building. In recovery, RAMHP encourages talking openly with family and friends about your experience and wellbeing, keeping an eye on neighbours, speaking up when you’re worried about a mate and accepting help if it’s offered.
Community resilience is often strengthened through simple acts of social connectedness. Research shows that maintaining connection through local groups or networks can help people cope with the emotional toll of natural disasters like floods, fires and drought. These support networks bring community together, allowing a safe space for people to ask for help when they need it and offer strength and support when they’re able to give it.
Recovery from flood-related trauma doesn’t end when the water recedes, it unfolds in the months and years following the event. Research shows that the more prolonged the disruption to people’s lives, the deeper the emotional toll and the longer recovery takes with the true mental health impacts realised years after the event. When the time is right, RAMHP is ready to provide support.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it’s community strength in action. Whether it’s checking in on a neighbour, attending a local recovery event or calling on services like RAMHP for information and advice, every small connection counts. Communities often have to rely on each other for the emotional and social healing, but together, rural communities – tough and resilient – can re-build, not just physically, but from the inside out.
Matt is one of the RAMHP Coordinators for Hunter New England Local Health District. Matt is based on Wonnarua Country in Maitland and provided support to communities in his region after flooding in early 2025.