The Salvation Army needed to coordinate over 130 volunteers on the ground providing assistance in Christchurch neighbourhoods following the devastating earthquake of 22 February 2011. This vital task required sophisticated communication, good management, effective logistical support and careful recording of data.

With Salvation Army centres damaged in the disaster, teams were working from new or temporary locations and urgently needed communication links with people across Christchurch and Wellington.

Gen-i, along with Leading Edge, rapidly established voice and data connectivity to the Salvation Army’s welfare centres and vehicles and equipped the organisation with a range of mobility services.

Netcomm XT MyMay routers were provided to enable phone connectivity as well as wired and wireless data networking. Calls and data were routed across the Telecom XT mobile network, enabling connectivity from anywhere.

The Salvation Army was able to provide over 70,000 meals, 5,000 food parcels, visited 45,000 homes providing essential support to people affected by the earthquake. Practical assistance such as cash, food parcels, clothing, furniture, petrol vouchers, DIY vouchers and supermarket vouchers, was also distributed.

As a result, the Salvation Army has been recognised as the largest, most mobile and comprehensive social agency working to assist victims in Canterbury after both earthquakes.