Deutsche Post DHL Group has deployed its Disaster Response Team (DRT) at Suva Airport, Fiji, to help with relief aid logistics after Tropical Cyclone Winston hit the island last week, killing at least 40 people and causing severe damage.
The initial team of seven DRT volunteers from Australia and New Zealand will coordinate relief logistics operations out of the airport together with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to ensure smooth deliveries of cargo and relief aid to NGOs for their further distribution to the communities.
Belinda Tan, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Responsibility, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, DHL, commented: "Cyclone Winston's impact is becoming more apparent, and we see that the scale and severity of damage requires immediate response. Our team of highly trained DRT volunteers will provide specialist logistics support at Suva Airport to facilitate the fast and efficient distribution of aid to the NGOs for their distribution to those in need."
Apart from the DRT deployment, DHL Express has provided four vehicles to assist in aid distribution in Nadi and Fiji's capital city Suva. DHL has also designated its offices across Fiji as "public drop points" where members of the public can donate clothes, blankets, outdoor equipment, food, and other aid resources.
Carl Schelfhaut, Head of International Relations and Disaster Management, Asia Pacific, Deutsche Post DHL Group, said: "In any natural disaster situation, airports need to avoid bottlenecks if they are to deliver timely relief to those whose basic necessities and livelihoods have been dealt a major blow. Our volunteers are no stranger to the complexity posed by Fiji's myriad islands, having managed everything from unloading to forward transportation of relief goods when Vanuatu was struck by Cyclone Pam last year. That experience will prove invaluable in reaching Fiji's most affected communities and helping them cope with the fallout of Cyclone Winston.”
The DRT network consists of over 400 trained DHL volunteers, who can be deployed within 72 hours. The most recent deployment was in Nepal following two catastrophic earthquakes in April 2015.
The Disaster Response Teams are part of the Group’s disaster management programme GoHelp which also includes the "Get Airports Ready for Disaster" (GARD) programme. In a partnership with the United Nations since 2005, Deutsche Post DHL has implemented GARD and DRTs to more than 30 local airports in 16 countries.
