- Three teams of 12 volunteers processed cargo from approximately 50 aircraft over 20 days at Beira Airport to support relief efforts in the wake of Cyclone Idai
BONN, GERMANY – Media OutReach – April 17, 2019 – Deutsche Post DHL (DPDHL) Group, the world’s leading mail and logistics services provider, has ended its first Disaster Response Team (DRT) deployment in Africa. On Friday April 12, 2019 the last DRT members moved out of Beira, where cyclone Idai the month before damaged over 700,000 hectares of crops, and destroyed close to 200,000 homes.[1] The team, in its time there, moved nearly 800 tonnes of incoming humanitarian aid from approximately 50 aircraft for further distribution to those displaced and affected by this natural disaster.
Member of DRT drives a forklift at Beira Airport to support relief efforts in the wake of Cyclone Idai.
Members of DRT work to offload supplies at Beira Airport to support relief efforts in the wake of Cyclone Idai.
DPDHL Group’s DRT was deployed at Beira Airport between March 24 and April 12, 2019 at the request of the United Nations. 12 DHL volunteers from Mozambique, South Africa and United Arab Emirates worked in rotation across three teams. Over the course of nearly three weeks, the volunteers handled incoming relief goods and coordinated incoming humanitarian aid for the United Nations and international relief organizations.
Chris Weeks, Director for Humanitarian Affairs at Deutsche Post DHL Group who headed up the deployment said, “This particular deployment was groundbreaking for us in that it was our first mission to Africa. The challenges however were familiar and within the first few days of arriving the DRT firmly established its coordination expertise in the supply chain of incoming humanitarian aid.” He continued, “All too often the sudden influx of relief aid to an airport creates bottlenecks and aid is unable to get out in a timely manner. This was precisely the scenario the team was trying to avoid and able to do so successfully.”
During their time in Mozambique, the DRT acted as a liaison between the Beira Airport Authorities (ADM) and the large humanitarian community who occupied a vast area at the airport. The team supported international relief organizations such as IFRC, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO, ASB, WFP, USAid and UKAid, and assisted with handling equipment, driving forklifts and high-loaders, and ensuring there was no build-up of incoming shipments.
“Over 80 partners including the Government of Mozambique, NGOs, UN agencies and Red Cross teams are taking part in the humanitarian response following Cyclone Idai, one of the worst tropical cyclones ever to hit Africa and the southern hemisphere. The logistics expertise of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s DRT complemented the relief efforts from all these different partners at Beira Airport. We are grateful to the DHL volunteers who worked tirelessly alongside the humanitarian community to help move relief items efficiently in order for those affected to receive help as quickly as possible”, explains Stephen Cahill, Global Logistics Cluster Coordinator at United Nations World Food Programme.
About the Disaster Response Team
The DRTs are part of DPDHL Group’s GoHelp disaster management program, which it has operated in partnership with the United Nations (UN) since 2005. Through this partnership, the Group provides the UN and national disaster management agencies with pro bono access to its core logistics expertise, and the logistics skills of more than 500 specially-trained employee volunteers worldwide who can deploy within 72 hours after a natural disaster.
Since the partnership was launched, the DRTs have completed more than 40 deployments for different natural disasters in over 20 countries — most recently the team helped the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Indonesia in October 2018.
In addition to the DRT deployments, the Group’s Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) initiative — also part of the GoHelp program — trains airport management in high-risk regions to be better prepared should disaster strike.
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[1] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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About Deutsche Post DHL Group
Deutsche Post DHL Group is the world’s leading mail and logistics company. The Group connects people and markets and is an enabler of global trade. It aspires to be the first choice for customers, employees and investors worldwide. The Group contributes to the world through responsible business practices, corporate citizenship and environmental activities. By the year 2050, Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero emissions logistics.
Deutsche Post DHL Group is home to two strong brands: Deutsche Post is Europe’s leading postal service provider. DHL offers a comprehensive range of international express, freight transport, and supply chain management services, as well as e-commerce logistics solutions. Deutsche Post DHL Group employs approximately 550,000 people in over 220 countries and territories worldwide. The Group generated revenues of more than 61 billion Euros in 2018.
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