‘We’d have lost lives’: absence of translators in Shepparton flood response criticised

Volunteers have been the only way for the shire's thriving multicultural community to seek help during the emergency

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When Hussam Saraf received a call from an Afghan woman trapped in flood waters just outside Shepparton on Friday evening, he was desperate to help.

The SES and police had been unable to assist the woman due to her lack of English. Saraf was able to act as an interpreter and she was ferried to safety.

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