Volunteer South has released its new emergency volunteering database to help support the wider Southern Region in the event of an emergency.

This emergency volunteering capability has been developed as a part of the organisation’s wider strategy of community resilience, initiated in direct response to Volunteer South’s welfare response collaboration during the March/April 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.

Members of the public can sign up to the database to offer their support.

“Volunteer South is keenly aware of the volunteer needs of the wider Southern region, particularly those that occur during an emergency,” Volunteer South Central Lakes manager Gillian White said. 

“The capability and the eagerness of the community to volunteer in an emergency has seen incredibly strong community led initiatives and support that has transcended the usual call of duty.”

Volunteer centres are ideal for centralised support as they leave emergency responders with the task at hand, Volunteer South said.

“This is a great addition to our website whereby people from the public are able to register as an Emergency Volunteer (EV) whenever they want, and can update and withdraw their details at any point of time,” Gillian said.

At the time of registration, EVs will be able to tick checkboxes with their skills and provide any relevant information to ensure that in an emergency we will then send the correctly skilled people to the area where those skills are needed. 

In an emergency, those skills may change, and EVs already registered will be able to update and communicate with the team to ensure an up to date and consistent support system.

Volunteer South’s activities for 2020 have been predominantly COVID-19 related, with teams in both Central Lakes and Dunedin/Waitaki/Clutha supporting the welfare response with the local councils. Its substantial COVID-19 response work has continued well past the initial welfare response. 

The Emergency Volunteering link is now live on the Volunteer South website. Learn more here.

PHOTO: Volunteering South