Strong, connected communities are better prepared to respond to and recover from emergencies. In a major emergency, official responders will need to prioritise the most urgent issues. For the first few days, it’s likely that your local community will need to help each other.

Everyone will need to pitch in and support one another.

Did you know? All the skilled people you need in an emergency are already in your community – people just like you!

If you work for or lead a community organisation or group (e.g., a residents' association, faith group, sports club, etc.), it’s important to identify potential hazards and their consequences in your area, and be prepared to keep yourself and your colleagues and your community safe.

If your community organisation or group has a facility and resources and is willing to gather them before an emergency to help others during the emergency.

Your hub will be community-led, not an official Welfare Centre activated by Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM).

Community members run a Hub without official assistance - it's essentially a place for neighbours to help each other in a coordinated way.  This is not an official Welfare Centre activated by Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM).

We will assist with your hub's planning and exercises, but please note that we do not provide supplies, food, water, or other resources. Each Hub has a Hub Guide which explains how to organise an emergency response and describes the different roles needed. It’s unlikely we will be able to help activate your hub in the first few days following an emergency.

The locations of Community Emergency Hubs are confidential for security reasons. However, one of the key approaches to helping communities minimise risks during an event is to engage with the community before it happens. This can be done through methods like letter drops, posters/pamphlets in local stores, or organising tailored talks with CDEM.

This ensures your community will know where to go in an emergency (your Community Response Hub) and can potentially connect with neighbouring hubs if you'd like to collaborate.

You can either reach out to us (CDEM) or your Community Development Advisors (CDA). We work closely with them based on geographical or demographic needs.