Russia has provided more than 500 tons of vital relief supplies to the disaster stricken nations of South East Asia
As of January 14 Russia has delivered more than 500 tons of vital relief supplies to the disaster stricken nations of South East Asia with the overall contribution to the worldwide aid effort estimated at 22 million dollars.
Moscow, Russia (PRWEB) January 18, 2005 -- As of January 14 Russia has
delivered more than 500 tons of vital relief supplies to the disaster stricken
nations of South East Asia with the overall contribution to the worldwide aid
effort estimated at 22 million dollars.
The Russian Federation
immediately joined the global relief operation to provide humanitarian aid to
the countries affected by the natural disaster in the Indian Ocean. From
December 26, 2004 to January 5, 2005, Russia deployed duty units from the
national humanitarian emergency response corps of the Russian Ministry of
Emergencies, men and equipment from the Russian Defense Ministry and the Russian
Reserve and other resources to provide the necessary assistance in response to
the received requests (the first request for assistance was received from the
government of Sri Lanka at 11:30 on December 26, 2004).
In the early
morning of December 27, 2004, two Emergencies’ Ministry IL-76 transports
departed from Russia on the flight path Moscow-Shardja-Colombo-Shardja-Moscow.
The first plane delivered a group of rescue workers, a search-and-rescue
helicopter, special transportation equipment and various supplies. The second
plane delivered tents and blankets to Sri Lanka.
During the first stage
of the relief operation in Sri Lanka, Russia focused on supporting the
international coordination of the emergency relief effort. Two representatives
of the Russian Emergencies Ministry joined the UN Group on Assessment and
Coordination (UNDAC), ensuring that rescue teams and humanitarian cargo from
various countries and organizations were received appropriately at the airport
in Colombo.
A Bo-105 Eurocopter, which arrived on board one of the IL-76s
and thanks to Global Radius technology could be prepared for action in 30
minutes after delivery, proved very effective in rescue operations, including
those at the request of the UN Mission. It conducted reconnaissance flights over
areas of the island (up to six kilometers inland) devastated by the tidal
wave.
In cooperation with officials from the medical department of the
Kalutara district, Russian rescue workers immediately joined work to provide
medical aid to the local population. They helped 362 injured people, including
114 children aged from 1 month to 17 years, concentrating their efforts on the
territory of a Buddhist temple and a Catholic church, where people sought
shelter after losing their housing. Considering the complicated epidemic
situation, rescue workers had to take strict hygienic
measures.
Search-and-rescue operations were focused on areas where the
transportation infrastructure and vehicles (roads, trains, and sea-faring
vessels) had been destroyed by the tsunami. Groups of local volunteers worked
effectively in relief operations under the instruction of Russian
experts.
During the initial stage of the relief operation, international
rescue teams encountered various problems, including a lack of organization and
communications, controversy over the order of relief operations in various
regions, and a lack of security. For example, the subversive operations of
separatists in the northern regions stopped the relief effort of an Austrian
rescue team. Nevertheless, with the creation of the National Relief Management
Center under the President of Sri Lanka, the coordination of relief effort
improved significantly and the Russian rescue team was sent to southern regions
of the island (cities of Kalutara and Galle). Representatives from headquarters
of the local branch of the Socialist Party and police were assigned to the
Russian team to ensure coordination and liaison.
On December 29, 2004,
the third IL-76 with tents, water-purifying systems and disinfectants was sent
to Colombo.
On December 30, 2004, the fourth IL-76 flight, carrying three
tons of bottled drinking water desperately needed on the devastated Thai coast,
took off from Russia along the route
Yekaterinburg-Shardja-Phuket-Shardja-Moscow.
On their return flights, the
planes carried 113 Russian and CIS citizens who had lost their documents and
personal possessions in the natural disaster in Thailand and Sri Lanka, and
needed medical assistance, including on the flight.
On January 5-7, 2005,
the fifth plane, an IL-76, flew to Indonesia following the route
Moscow-Shardja-Medan-Shardja-Moscow, delivering tents, blankets, linen and
electric power generators to the island of Sumatra.
Starting from January
7, 2005, in accordance with instructions of the Russian President on further
increasing the Russian relief effort to Southeast Asian countries devastated by
the natural disaster, the Russian government decided to supplement the efforts
of the Russian Emergencies Ministry with aviation and resources from the Defense
Ministry, the Russian Reserve, and the Health Ministry. Moreover, the Russian
Ministry of Agriculture sent grain supplies to the region.
From January 8
to January 14, 2005, Russia conducted the following flights to increase
humanitarian aid.
On January 8, 2005, a Defense Ministry IL-76 plane
(sixth flight) delivered tents, linen and water-purifying systems to Thailand
(Bangkok).
On January 8, 2005, a Defense Ministry AN-124 plane (seventh
flight) delivered tents, linen and water-purifying systems to Indonesia
(Medan).
On January 9, 2005, an Emergencies Ministry IL-76 (eighth
flight) delivered blankets, linen and electric power generators to Thailand
(island of Phuket).
On January 9, 2005, three Defense Ministry planes
delivered the first part of cargo for a mobile military field hospital to the
island of Sumatra (Indonesia) making the 9th, the 10th, and the 11th
flights.
On January 11, 2005, an Emergencies Ministry IL-76 (12th flight)
delivered to Sri Lanka humanitarian aid provided by the Belarus Emergencies
Ministry: blankets, tents and water-purifying systems.
On January 11,
2005, three Defense Ministry IL-76s (13th, 14th, and 15th flights) delivered the
second part of cargo for a mobile military field hospital, doctors and support
personnel to the island of Sumatra (Indonesia).
On January 13, 2005, four
Defense Ministry IL-76s (16th, 17th, 18, and 19th flights) delivered the rest of
cargo, equipment and personnel for a field hospital on Sumatra, and humanitarian
aid to the cities of Medan and Benda-Acheh in Indonesia.
Late night on
January 13, 2005, two Emergencies Ministry IL-76s (20th and 21st flights)
delivered to Colombo (Sri Lanka) a Centrospas airmobile hospital from the
Russian Emergencies Ministry reinforced by a team of doctors from the Zashchita
All-Russia Center of Medical Assistance and a sanitary-epidemiological group
from the Russian Health Ministry.
Thai officials – the deputy permanent
secretary of the Interior Ministry, the head of the department for the
prevention of emergencies and disaster relief, the deputy governor of the Phuket
province, and the acting deputy director general of the Thai international
corporation-agency for development attached to the Thai Foreign Ministry, all
expressed their gratitude for humanitarian assistance provided by Russia. The
Thai authorities proposed developing cooperation with Russia to set up an early
warning system for tidal waves, earthquakes, floods, forest fires and other
natural disasters based on groundwork accomplished by Russia. Thailand also
showed interest in the deployment of Be-200 amphibious planes to accomplish
tasks for the Thai Interior Ministry, Defense Ministry and the Coast Guard. In
addition, Thai officials expressed their desire to use Russian-made helicopters
and crews trained by Russian experts to conduct search-and-rescue operations and
to extinguish forest fires. The Thai authorities also highly praised the
activities of the Asian branch of the International Association Emercom, which
helped coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid from Russia.
Overall,
the parameters of the “air bridge” as of January 14 were as follows:
--
Transport planes from the Russian Defense Ministry and the Emergencies Ministry
conducted 21 return flights to deliver humanitarian aid to devastated regions in
Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia (the cities of Colombo, Medan and Phuket) with
the average flight covering 8,000-9,000 kilometers.
-- the volume of the
delivered cargo and equipment, including a helicopter, various cars and special
vehicles, was about 4,500 cubic meters, and the overall weight – more than 500
tons.
Considering the additional requests made by the countries affected
by the natural disaster, the Defense and Emergencies Ministries planned and
prepared, in coordination with the Russian Foreign Ministry, future transport
planes’ flights. In addition, the Russian authorities coordinated the activities
of various ministries and agencies to increase Russia’s participation in the
global relief effort in Southeast Asia.
These future activities
include:
-- the deployment of a Russian military field hospital in the
city of Benda-Acheh (Indonesia), which suffered the most in the natural
disaster;
-- the deployment of a sanitary-epidemiological group from the
Russian Health and Social Development Ministry and coordinating officials from
the Emergencies Ministry in Phuket (Thailand);
-- the deployment of a
reinforced airmobile hospital from the Russian Emergencies Ministry in
coordination with the Health and Social Development Ministry in Sri
Lanka;
-- further deliveries of emergency relief aid (flour, medical
supplies, etc) by Russian Emergencies Ministry planes;
-- the delivery of
20,000 tons of grain by ship organized by the Russian Ministry of
Agriculture.
In addition, in the first six months of 2005, the Russian
Foreign Ministry plans to donate $10 million to various UN relief organizations
to support the global relief effort.
Overall, Russia’s contribution to
the global relief effort in Southeast Asia has been estimated at more than $22
million.
The value of Russia’s contribution is not in the large amount of
donated funds, but in the implementation of principles that guarantee:
--
the coordination of specific forms of humanitarian aid with local
authorities;
-- the direct and precise delivery of humanitarian aid to
local people;
-- deliveries in good time;
-- continuous and
flexible efforts considering particular requests and the changing
situation;
-- coordination of actions and forms of humanitarian aid with
the appropriate UN structures;
-- the development of proposals according
to the experience of joint global operations in the sphere of emergency relief
efforts.—0--
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb198508.htm