Imagine that a large earthquake has struck the Wellington region. You've made it home and checked on your whānau and neighbours. What do you do next?

This week, the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) is launching a campaign to encourage people to be more prepared by finding their nearest Community Emergency Hub.

In an event such as a big earthquake, broken infrastructure, limited resources, and an overwhelming demand for help mean that everyone will need to pitch in and support one another.

Community Emergency Hubs are places where neighbours can gather after a disaster to ask for and offer help, find out information about their suburb, or be in the company of others.

Pooja Kulkarni, Community Resilience Team Leader for WREMO says that in a disaster, emergency services and councils must prioritise the most urgent matters, so communities will need to work together to deal with the issues they face on their doorstep.

“As we have seen in the Canterbury earthquakes, and most recently Cyclone Gabrielle, communities naturally come together to help each other,” Kulkarni says.

“The Community Emergency Hubs give our residents a good starting point - a place to gather and some guidance on what to do to support each other through a disaster.

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“Community members run hubs without official help. We work with communities to provide training and show people that their neighbourhoods are more prepared than they think. They have many skills and resources available to help one another.”

There are over 120 Hubs across Te Upoko o te Ika, each with a small amount of equipment. There are no supplies, like food, water or blankets stored at Hubs. Our communities are already full of these. Communities can gather the things they need at the time by working together.

Throughout March, WREMO is hosting events at Community Emergency Hubs across the region. These events aim to help people connect with their neighbours and build stronger communities.

Come and join us in the free activities like Emergency Response Practices, Quiz Nights, Movie Nights, and Board Game days. There’s something for everyone!

To find your nearest Community Emergency Hub, visit www.wremo.nz/hubs

To attend a Hub event near you, visit: www.wremo.nz/calendar

About the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO)

WREMO leads and coordinates Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) services on behalf of the nine councils across the Wellington Region. During an emergency, our region can activate up to six Emergency Operations Centres. These are in Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Wairarapa, Porirua and Kāpiti. The centres’ response effort is coordinated by a regional Emergency Coordination Centre. Each centre is run by the relevant council, with support from the CDEM Group partner agencies and WREMO staff.

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