This isn't about how to be a good carer - it is about the differences that show up in disasters.

We have just had a cyclone up in northern Queensland, right in the middle of our sugar cane and banana belt. The damage has yet to be assessed but already there is talk of billions of dollars. Not in compensation but in lost income and assets. So far no reported loss of life but who knows? It is never reported how many people have strokes, heart attacks, commit suicide or die younger than they would have as a result of natural disasters.

Of course the people of Northern Queensland are reported as a tough bunch. They live in a climate that is hot much of the year, where there is always not enough rain or too much. To a certain extent they rely on the "dumps" of rain from summer storms and cyclones to fill the catchments of the rivers which all flow out to sea and to cover the valleys with inches of water to replenish the underground water supplies. Life is extreme, on the coast there are sharks and box jellyfish , the sting of which can kill. Inland there are venomous snakes and in the inlets crocodiles. You live there because you love the place.

The centre of the cyclone was Innisfaill, a small town between two cities, Townsville to the south and Cairns to the north. This is the coast where the oldies flock to in winter from Victoria, Tasmania and even parts of south western New South Wales where winter temps drop below freezing from May to September. The oldies live in relocatable homes (in some places called manufactured homes) in large spacious parks close to the water. Luckily most of them are still at home as yet and haven't headed north. In a months time it would have been a different story.

What does our Government do in emergencies? Each State has a partially government funded State Emergency Service. These are the guys and gals who put tarps over your roof when the storms hit. They also co-operate with the Bush Fire Brigades and other emergency services to provide muscle. They are already in the area. The usual charities like Salvation Army, Anglicare, Red Cross will be on the scene to assess immediate needs, there will be an appeal. The Federal government "may" call out the army etc to provide demolition crews and installation crews to put up bailie bridges etc. It is all done pretty fast.

But as with any government operation a lot is overlooked so that is where the fund raising bodies come in. They give emergency money, your house may be gone but you still have to pay your phone bills. There is some rorting of this system always but usually it is pretty well respected. Financial counsellors move in to help you stall the banks, counsellors to help your children sleep without nightmares.

Food, water clothing and shelter are the first priority and the State government will bring workers in to help with that. The people will rally round and help each other too, they are country folk and used to helping neighbours. If you can't get a relocatable home you can sleep in a tent with your rescued goods in an old shipping container. Power plants and generators are in large planes on their way. Neighbours from hundreds of miles away will send a truck to help in the convoy work. Telephone and power restoration, reconstruction of roads and bridges etc all take a lot longer, that is where the bureaucratic red tape and all the angst comes in. And the s-l-o-w assessment and payment of claims of the insurance companies.

But the residents of Innisfaill have already set up their own emergency aid stations and shopkeepers have BBQ's and food stalls to feed the workers. No-one will starve but then there are only hundreds of people, not thousands to cope with in this sparsely populated area.

Kind of reminds you of some families doesn't it? They rally round when there is a crisis. Some of them leave too soon to be of much help, but at least they were there for a while. Others are practical people who are there to give you real help for as long as you need it.

I thought of writing some of this down as a few of you have PMed me already.

Thankfully al of this is happening 1600 miles(2095 kms) away from me. But we are part of the same country and so if there is an appeal we will give as we always do.

And like Katrina and all other disasters there will be people who survive and come out stronger for the experience and those who give in to depression and illness or break under the new load they have to bear or even go down financially below a level they will never recover from. Not everyone will receive aid as a lot because of pride or whatever will never even apply. Life is not fair and equal and whoever said it was must have been thinking of some other planet.

Guess all we can do is pray for the people inundated ( literally as it is really raining up there) and distressed by what has happened to them. It isn't their problem alone either, bananas and sugar will both be higher priced this year and sadly some of our snow birds will have had their winter nests blown away.

For Australian news try: www.ninemsn.com.au should be news on the cyclone there for a while.