WOSTO is offering 50% off all day passes at our QLD sites for the rest of March to support those affected by Cyclone Alfred, which caused the biggest blackout in the state’s history, with up to 300,000 households and businesses without power, some for days.
The remnants of Cyclone Alfred ripped through southeast QLD over the weekend, and dozens of displaced workers, forced out of their homes by power cuts or unable to reach their place of work due to flooding, have already taken advantage of the offer.
Alfred hit hardest on the Gold Coast, with Regional Manager Amber Rowe saying an “unprecedented” number of walk-ins arrived at the Robina and Varsity Lakes sites – up to 15 at each site on Monday and Tuesday, with new people still coming on Wednesday.
“It’s great we can help, and people are very appreciative,” says Rowe.
In Brisbane, Regional Manager Katrine Larkin reports increased walk-in demand at Chermside and Fortitude Valley, many of them people who usually work at home.
“We’ve also had several big businesses enquire about leasing space for the next couple of months,” Larkin says.
On the nearby Sunshine Coast, Cyclone Alfred arrived just two weeks after WOTSO signed a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) with long-term charity partner DV Safe Phone to use its Sippy Downs site in case of emergency.
Fortunately, there was no need enact the DRP this time around, but Nikki Firmin, Head of Community and Corporate Partnerships at DV Smart Phone, said “It means the world to us as a grass roots charity to have a backup plan to ensure our mission, vision and impact is supported should something happen,” she says.
“If we cannot access our Sunshine Coast HQ, WOTSO has generously stepped up as our disaster recovery site, so we can continue our vital work supporting domestic violence victims across Australia.
“This is the latest in a long history of WOTSO supporting us. It has been an incredible partner since 2022, providing over 1,000 phones from its community, helping domestic violence victims stay connected and safe.”
WOTSO’s 50% discount means a day pass now costs $27.50, while a 10-day pass has been reduced from $440 to $220.
