TOUCHED: Rebecca Wilson and Mikael Wedemeyer have set up a new website - flooddiscounts.com.au - to help out with Queensland's flood relief effort. Picture: Tim Marsden Source: The Courier-Mail
REBECCA Wilson had tears in her eyes as she took in the post-flood devastation in Brisbane's suburbs and, days later, her tears kept on coming.
This time though, it was from the sheer joy of witnessing the generosity of businesses and volunteers responding to the crisis and how technology was being used to help people in real need.
Using Facebook, Twitter and the phones lines, the Stretch Marketing executive has teamed with Mikael Wedemeyer, of Niche Studio Design, to come up with a new website, www.flooddiscounts.com.au
It centralises discounts for both business and residential flood victims into 21 categories and is run purely by volunteers on a non-profit basis.
"It's our version of a shovel and a pick. There is a human cost and time cost but it's something we wanted to do to give back," she said.
"Right now flood-affected people are still working out what they're throwing out, but there will come a time when they decide what to replace and we'd like to be able to have all those discounts ready for them to see in one place when that happens."
The initiative, which launched on Sunday, has about 12 volunteers in two offices, and is being promoted through Facebook, Twitter and "a whole heap of friends and colleagues on the phone to businesses from home", Ms Wilson said.
Businesses call or email the group pledges of all discounts they may have on offer for flood-affected residents and businesses, with some discounts running as high as 50 per cent.
Ms Wilson said they encouraged businesses to run listed discounts for at least three to six months, to give flood-affected people time to decide what measures would best suit them.
A Waterford-based company, Mobile Double Glaze Repairs, was one of the first to jump on board the initiative, offering a 50 per cent discount to flood-affected people until the end of March.
"We are offering all businesses affected by Queensland floods heavily discounted, almost cost prices, off all glass fridge door repairs/replacements," the company said.
"We'll send a technician to come out to your affected workplace, measure up and quote on the spot and then will take doors away, repair or replace and come back to your store at a convenient time and complete the job at hand on-site."
Ms Wilson said small to medium businesses had been the first to respond to the discount initiative, most wanting to play a part in the rebuilding effort.
"Looking at the discounts coming through from smaller businesses really brings tears to the eyes," she said.
"They are just so generous. We would like to really see that come through with bigger companies as well because flood-affected people will need bigger retailers as well."
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