HFH New Zealand To Mobilize Volunteers In Response To Christchurch Earthquake

About 110 New Zealand Volunteers Signed Up With Habitat To Help Repair Homes

AUCKLAND, 15th September 2010: Habitat for Humanity New Zealand plans to mobilize volunteers to help repair homes damaged in the 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck Christchurch, the largest city on New Zealand’s South Island, on 4th September.

Some of the damaged houses in Christchurch after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked the city earlier in September. Photos: courtesy of HFH New Zealand.

A volunteer recruitment web page has already been established. To date, about 110 volunteers from New Zealand have signed up with Habitat.

HFH New Zealand is currently in talks with local authorities as to how best it can help the people in Christchurch.

Local officials believe the earthquake damaged up to 100,000 homes and caused damage estimated at NZ2 billion (about US1.4 billion). But no one was reported to have been killed.

HFH Zealand’s strategy will be to focus on mobilizing volunteers to assist repairing homes for “vulnerable families especially those without any insurance in place, who now face a potentially bleak and uncertain future following the damage to their homes,” HFH New Zealand said in a statement.

The extent of damage and remedial work required is currently unknown. It could still be some time before the recovery phase kicks in and therefore when volunteers can be fully deployed.

In the meantime, HFH New Zealand is amending its scheduled annual fund-raising appeal, which is going out shortly, to include an appeal for additional donations for the Christchurch response.

HFH New Zealand has already received a NZ10,000 (about US7,150) donation toward the Christchurch response.