Deutsche Post World Net has launched its DHL Disaster Response Team (DRT) for Middle East/Africabased in Dubai. This third DRT team completes its worldwide network of emergency aid teams.
As part of the strategic partnership with the UN Office for the Coordination of HumanitarianAffairs (OCHA), two teams of specially trained DHL experts were created earlier for missions in theAsia/Pacific and America/Latin America/Caribbean regions.
The team of over 40 volunteers is capable of setting up an effective airport logisticsoperation in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters, ensuring that relief supplies areefficiently sorted, stored and distributed.
“Thanks to the third Disaster Response Team, which will be stationed in Dubai, the companycan now provide skilled support to humanitarian relief operations around the world. A total of 200employees are now on call 24 hours a day around the world, ready to quickly create a logisticsinfrastructure at airports,” said Monika Wulf-Mathies, DPWN Executive Vice President CorporatePublic Policy and Sustainability.
“Our team for the Middle East/Africa has 13 different nationalities. Once the UN or agovernment contacts us, we can provide support for up to three weeks,” Paul Dowling ,CustomerOperations and Product Development Manager for DHL Middle East/Africa explains. The DisasterResponse Teams are composed of volunteers who are experts in the areas of goods handling, warehousemanagement, inventory and customs.
DHL has supported relief missions that followed the earthquakes in Peru (2007), Indonesia(2006) and Pakistan (2005), Hurricane Katrina in the United States (2005) and the tsunami insoutheast Asia (2004).
