Deutsche Post DHL has sent a Disaster Response Team (DRT) to the Philippines to help with reliefaid logistics following the recent typhoon that hit the capital, Manila. DHL experts are also
flying to Samoa, hit by a tsunami, to support emergency logistics activities.The DRT, invited by the Philippine government, reached the capital Manila on October 1 andwill temporarily help manage the expected surge in air cargo operations at the Ninoy AquinoInternational Airport, thereby reducing bottlenecks and keeping the airport open for additionalrelief flights, Deutsche Post DHL announced.
The DRT team consists of nine trained DHL volunteers, coming from the DRT Asia Pacificheadquarter based in Singapore. Their deployment is a pro-bono activity and they are workingclosely with UNOCHA, the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team andnational authorities to coordinate relief logistics activities.
Rainer Wend, Executive Vice President, Environment and Sustainability said: “The people inthe Philippine capital are suffering seriously from the effects of the recent typhoon and they aredepending on international support. It is our aim to establish a well functioning entry point forrelief cargo arriving on charter flights in order to provide people with essential relief goods assoon as possible.”
Chris Weeks, DHL Director of Humanitarian Affairs added: “The situation in Manila isdevastating: 750,000 people are without a home due to the flooding in the capital of Manila andthey urgently need international help. Our team will organise the incoming unsolicited relief goodsat Ninoy Aquino International Airport and ensure a smooth logistic chain.”
The Disaster Response Team, based at the airport’s Terminal 3, will set up logistics for thehandling of all kinds of relief goods such as tents, tarpaulins, food, clothing, medicines andwater purifying equipment. They will set up and manage a temporary, professional warehouse at theairport, including sorting and making a full inventory of donated goods. Once the aid starts toarrive in Manila the team will assist with the customs process and ensure the speedy loading of aidonto trucks or helicopters. The mission is expected to last for three weeks with the team changingon a weekly basis.
In Samoa, hit by a tsunami, DHL will deploy two DRT volunteers for a DRT surveillancemission. Their task will be to support the UN and the local authorities to set up efficient reliefoperation logistics.
In 2005 DHL entered into a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in the area ofDisaster Management. DHL’s global DRT network consists of three teams which are assigned to aspecific geographic region covering Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and the MiddleEast and Africa. Each of these teams consists of a pool of about 80 specially trained DHLemployees, who – in addition to their normal job – have volunteered to take part in the pro-bonohumanitarian efforts.
The DRT can be deployed to a crisis area within 72 hours and for a period of up to threeweeks. By that time, the initial wave of international charter aircraft bringing in aid supplieshas normally subsided to a level that is manageable by local authorities. Up to fifteen members ofthe team are present at any point in time during the deployment.
In recent years, DHL has provided significant logistics support after a number of naturalcatastrophes around the world, including the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and theKashmir earthquake.
