Christchurch Earthquake Relief Journal (Day 9)

Breakfast was a hive of activity this morning with an influx of new teams from all over NZ & Aus. There are approximately 150 Salvation Army personnel on the ground continuing "Operation Wellbeing", door knocking 280,000 homes to ensure people impacted by the earthquake have access to adequate resources and support. This is a massive, coordinated effort, but one that is making a tangible difference in people's path to recovery.

Today, I was reassigned to the management team, with responsibility for the allocation and administration of a significant amount of money in various forms of vouchers. Once again, this offered another vantage point of the management of disaster relief. The people in the office are doing just as important job as those on the streets, as everything from team coordination to SAMIS (statistical) input ensures the resources are getting where they are needed most. It was great to see the same sort of creativity and resourcefulness I saw out in the field manifested in the office as a number of logistical challenges were overcome. Everything from data input, IT support and fleet management contribute to this amazing team.

One of the many things that has added to the joy of this experience has been the ability to provide immediate and meaningful assistance to people without requiring them to wade through a sea of forms or meet stringent criteria. Team leaders have been entrusted with real-time authority to distribute various forms of vouchers at the door or the relief centres where people come looking for help. I am still moved by the overwhelming sense of appreciation expressed when people realise that they don't have to jump through hoops to get the help they need. I was so blessed today to be the one to deliver a significant amount of financial assistance to a single mum with three kids who lost her home. Her genuine joy and disbelief at the level of assistance we were able to offer her makes every bit of effort worth it!

I ended the day with a 6.8 km run, which was a great unwind after another long day (I know that sounds counter-intuitive to most), followed by a long black coffee at McCafe - ahhhh.