Support Team for Flood Victims in Pakistan
A leading express and logistics company, DHL, says it has deployed a team of logistics experts from its Middle East Disaster Response Team (DRT) to manage a temporary warehouse at Islamabad International Airport.
The DRT will provide its services pro bono in close cooperation with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
Incoming supplies from the United Nations World Food Programme as well as contributions from governments arriving through Islamabad International Airport will be handled by DHL’s DRT via three to five relief flights per day.
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According to the company, Donations amounting between USD$270,000 and USD$300,000 (€212,500 to €236,100) have poured in from the DHL offices worldwide including Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and the company’s corporate head office in Bonn, Germany.
Humanitarian aid including milk powder, clothes, canned food and medical supplies has also been sent to aid flood victims, it says.
Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL – the parent company of DHL – commented: “The situation in Pakistan is still very serious and we hope we can support ongoing relief efforts with our Disaster Response Team, professionally as usual.”
“Millions of people are affected by the water and temporary shelter is the greatest need, particularly food, tents and tarpaulins,” says Chris Weeks, director, Humanitarian Affairs, Deutsche Post DHL who is currently on-the-ground with the DRT Middle East team in Islamabad.
“We have set up the necessary logistics at the airport to facilitate the further transport of incoming goods over the next couple of weeks.”
The company says DRT Middle East will assist in relief efforts for the first two weeks while DRT Asia Pacific will take over in the third and final week.
The deployment was kicked-off on 26 August following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Disaster Management Authority Pakistan.
Besides deploying DRT, DHL offices in Pakistan also launched relief efforts on 2 August, comprising the management of a donation drive from DHL staff worldwide and the setup of medical camps at several villages around the Muzzaffar Garh district.
To date, the camps have provided medical relief to over 2,000 people and provided transportation for a number of patients in critical condition to Bakhtawar Amin Memorial Trust Hospital.
The camps are also stocked with supplies to cover the basic health needs of the flood victims, especially the treating of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid fever and malaria.
Plans for DHL Express Pakistan to manage the provision of food rations and help in the rehabilitation process are already in the pipeline while DHL Global Forwarding Pakistan employees have been delivering relief supplies directly to flood victims in Nowshehra.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 46 billion euros in 2009.
