Part 1: Accessing the hub

WREMO > Get Prepared > Community Ready > Community Emergency Hubs > Hub Guide > Part 1: Accessing the hub

Please respect the facilities and the contents inside.

These facilities are privately owned property that has been offered to the community for disaster response. 

When should you open a hub? View the infographic to decide. 

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Check the environment around the facility is safe

For your safety, always work with other people.

Potential hazards that could present a health and safety risk: 

  • Flooding or slips which threaten the facility 
  • Fires nearby 
  • Smell of gas or sewage 
  • Exposed electrical wires 
  • If the facility in a tsunami evacuation zone.

Check the outside and inside of the buildings to make sure they are safe to use

  • Does there appear to be any structural damage? When you get inside, look for hazards that you may not have seen from outside the building. 
  • If the area is not safe, find another location. Leave a note to say where you are relocating to, and why, to help keep others from harm.
  • It could be written on a footpath in chalk or left somewhere visible near the entrance to the building. 

Follow the 4 steps below when accessing the hub:

Step 1. Locate keys

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If you have the keys to the facility (if you work there, or hire the facility on a regular basis), you can open up the Hub. 

Other people in the community may also have keys or other ways to access the Hub, such as the building owner, staff, Board of Trustees, or neighbours. 

Step 2. Locate the Community Emergency Hub kit

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The location of the kit is marked on the Facility Map of the facility-specific guide. You are looking for a plastic tub and a cardboard tube. 
If the kit is damaged or you cannot get to it safely, find alternative or additional equipment from within your community. 
 
The Hub kit contains: 

  • A copy of the Hub Guide for the specific facility 
  • Civil Defence VHF radio 
  • Stationery 
  • AM/FM radio 
  • Maps 

Step 3. Identify a safe working space

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Keep in mind: 

  • The facility needs to be easily accessible – some people may be in wheelchairs, have buggies/pushchairs, or have limited mobility. 
  • The Hub may need to increase or decrease in size during the time it is open, depending on the community’s needs. 
  • Somewhere with extra rooms or additional buildings nearby will be useful, if you have lots of people coming to the Hub. 
  • If the radio is required, this will need a quiet room away from the public. 

Step 4: Clean up

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Tidy up the rooms you plan to use to make them safe to work in. 

  • Clean up rubbish and broken items 
  • Move furniture to free up space 
  • Secure any items that might fall in aftershocks 

Ensure the space is accessible to everyone, keep walkways clear and consider those with mobility and visual difficulties. 

Part 2: Working as a team

If more people come to the Hub while you are setting up, encourage them to help, if they can. 

Go to working as a team