About 40 Student Volunteer Army (SVA) members from James Hargest College, Southern Institute of Technology and Southland Boys’ High School, as well as some adults, rallied to help those in need in the aftermath of last week’s storm.
Southland Boys’ SVA ambassador Jacob Wilkinson-Hall, 18, coordinated the cleanup project.
Jacob said it was the first time many of the army members had been mobilised and the experience was "awesome".
"A lot of these young people learned what volunteering was and how they can go out further into the community in the future to be able to go and do more things.
He put a post on social media asking for those who needed help to respond.
There were about 26 replies but the group completed 18 of the tasks listed.
Emergency Management Southland risk and safety adviser Joshua Ward supervised which jobs the students could do safely.
The students completed jobs including pulling down fences, glass houses and sheds and minor roof repairs.
The people they helped were very grateful.
"A lot of them were the elderly, so a lot of them couldn’t do the jobs by themselves."
The group spent Friday evening, Saturday and Monday working and had a thank you party at the end where Invercargill mayor-elect Tom Campbell was one of the guests.
