After the firestorm
Supporting bereaved people following the 2009 Victorian bushfires
Keywords:
Bereavement, Australia, bushfire, psychosocial support, communityAbstract
AbstractOn Saturday 7 February 2009, the Australian State of Victoria experienced the largest, deadliest and most intense bush firestorm in the country's post-European history. The death toll of 173 people represented Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire. This paper describes the state-wide specialist bereavement service established in the wake of this tragedy that combined practical and emotional support built around a psychosocial recovery framework and characterised by flexible, community-based, outreach-oriented, formal and informal programmes and activities.
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