Good morning. A lack of translators could have dire consequences in a major flood, as a team of volunteers in Shepparton helps to make the vital link between multicultural residents and emergency services. And the UK’s prime minister has watched her brand-new chancellor tear up many of the plans that won her the job just a few months ago.
The recent flooding in Victoria has exposed a potentially fatal lack of translators in communities where a significant number of residents don’t speak English. In the city of Shepparton, the shire’s thriving multicultural community was forced to rely on a team of volunteers to help raise the alarm and alert emergency services to the fact they needed help. One of these volunteers, Hussam Saraf, received two dozen calls: “If [the flooding had been] worse than this, we’d have lost lives because of the language barrier.” Also, what’s driving the latest floods?
