2022 was the busiest year on record for south coast Red Cross emergency services teams

Regional officer Jason Hough said teams from the Eurobodalla and Bega District Shires were called to the NSW north coast early in 2022, and one disaster followed on from another throughout the year.

Red Cross is part of an international emergency response organisation and network, however Mr Hough said 2022 saw a big rise in the need for homegrown emergency responses, as more Australians experienced disasters on their doorstep.

The teams helped out in Ballina and Byron, Coraki, Eugowra and the Parkes region before ending the year and starting 2023 helping with flooding and destruction in Western Australia.

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"Our teams are on the ground even while the emergency is still going on," Mr Hough said.

The volunteers work in evacuation centres, providing psychological first aid as well as meeting the immediate physical needs of the displaced people - for example providing toothbrushes, shampoo and soap, a warm meal or somewhere safe and dry to sleep.

"People who are traumatised don't necessarily want to speak," Mr Hough said. "Our volunteers do a lot of reading between the lines."

South coast volunteers are just a small portion of the Red Cross emergency response organisation.

Across the state, the Red Cross organisation supported 171 NSW evacuation centres and recovery hubs, providing mental health first aid to 29,000 people.

Mr Hough said 2022 saw many new volunteers join the team, all motivated by a love for the community.

Mr Hough recently presented five south coast volunteers with National Emergency Medal for their tireless work in Evacuation and Recovery centres during and after the Black Summer fires.

"Some of our volunteers lived through the Black Summer fires. Some were directly impacted by that," he said.

"The most common thing I hear when volunteers join is they just want to give back to their community."

For more information, or to join, contact Jason Hough on 0407 160 939.