On Thursday 13 November, Oxfordshire County Council’s Joint Oxfordshire Resilience Team will be running a Humanitarian Assistance Centre (HAC) exercise and need volunteers to be their evacuees on the day.
An HAC is set up within 24-48 hours of an incident to support the people who have been affected. It is not the immediate emergency response, but a second step. Support offered includes helping people to contact their insurance company, access accommodation (beyond the first night emergency accommodation), and replace personal items that may have been lost, such as walking frames or bus passes.
The team are practicing running an HAC to ensure they are ready to execute, if ever needed. Volunteers are required to attend the session with various problems and issues, to help the team practice for a real-life situation.
The session will run from 10am until 2.30pm at the Kings Centre in Osney Mead. There is free parking at the venue, which is close to Oxford railway station. Refreshments will be provided on the day, including lunch for those who stay for the whole session.
If residents are interested in getting involved, please contact samantha.godfrey@oxfordshire.gov.uk to express your interest and what time you would be available to attend on the day. It would help the team if you can include a few details about yourself in the email, such as languages spoken, age range, dietary requirements and if you use mobility equipment.
Volunteers will be given a role card in advance of the session. This will instruct on what time to attend and what to request help with. Volunteers of all ages are welcome and can bring along family members or friends.
Find out more about the Joint Oxfordshire Resilience Team on the County Council website.