Despite substantial monetary and non-monetary investment in disaster recovery support services by community organisations, little is known about their processes and efforts. Even less is known about the impact of community organisations’ efforts on disaster-affected people. 

This study investigates how a community organisation (CO) in Queensland supports disaster-affected people in disaster recovery, providing deeper insights into Queensland’s disaster recovery system, the CO’s role in supporting recovery, and what recovery looks like in practice. 

The findings reveal how different disasters need different recovery approaches. While many believe that community organisations often fill the support gaps for disaster-affected people, this research shows that CO support for disaster recovery is anything but residual or secondary. Indeed, the CO’s disaster assistance program actively assists affected people – who are often marginalised – to rebuild their lives, houses and connections after nature-induced disasters. 

Since vulnerability and disaster recovery are interrelated, recovery can take a long time. It is imperative that affected people have the opportunity to express their evolving (and often compounded) recovery needs through a trauma-informed, need-based and relational approach that helps preserve the agency and dignity of disaster-affected people. 

For organisations providing disaster recovery support, collaboration and coordination with other stakeholders help create a robust setup that minimises duplication of effort and enables a rapid response to support those affected. The key findings hold important lessons across different recovery contexts. Continued good practice and new learnings will lead to improved and more comprehensive disaster assistance strategies and plans within the CO and more widely.