Published on the 03/03/2011 | Written by Newsdesk

Quick thinking volunteers had disaster relief website Christchurch Recovery Map up and running within hours of the devastating earthquake hitting Christchurch on February 22…

Telecom, Vodafone and 2Degrees are among companies helping the newly formed Crisis Camp NZ get information and help to those in need through its eq.org.nz platform.

Organiser Tim McNamara built the site with Rob Coup of Ko-ordinates using software developed to help Kenyans report on post-election violence in 2008. It is designed to assist large populations collect, visualise, map and share information.

McNamara, Coup and others are supported by Crisis Commons, a global network of volunteers that organised aid after disasters including the Haiti earthquake and the more recent Queensland flooding.

The website can be used to report damage, hazards, available accommodation and updates on open shops, banks, petrol stations. It also offers support for businesses and services that match requests for and offers of help.

“Were asking people to tell us where they are and what they see if roads are blocked, which dairy is open, which Mitre 10 is open, which medical centre, where there are phones working and internet access,” McNamara says.

“We’ve had a diabetic thank us for helping her find a supply of insulin, and parents finding out where they can buy food.”

People can text 5627, email eqnzfeb@gmail.com, tweet with the #eqnz hashtag or visit the website to provide updates on non-emergency information, which will be checked.

The site has processed more than 140,000 tweets on Twitter along with texts, email and web submissions. It can be accessed via the NZ Herald and Stuff websites.

McNamara is liaising with the Student Volunteer Army to get help to those affected across the city.

Others who have helped out with delivering the site and related services include Catalyst IT, Kestrel Group and Victoria University.

“We’ve had some great corporate support for the site,” McNamara says.