The DHL employee volunteers arrived in Nassau on Thursday, September 5, 2019, to receive and offload the first wide-body charter plane carrying Hurricane Dorian relief supplies into The Bahamas.
In partnership with the United Nations, DHL’s Disaster Response Team will provide logistics support for incoming disaster relief aid at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau
Miami, Florida – DHL Disaster Response Team (DRT) employee volunteers were on hand Thursday, September 5, 2019, to receive and unload the first wide-body charter plane carrying Hurricane Dorian relief supplies into The Bahamas. The first 34 tons of cargo delivered by the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) will be transported to a World Food Program (WFP) warehouse for onward distribution to Hurricane Dorian disaster victims in Freeport, Nassau & Abaco. Two additional cargo planes carrying a combined 76 tons of cargo are expected to arrive in Nassau today, Friday, September 6, 2019.
The first wave of six DHL DRT employees arrived from Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Florida to provide assistance this week. They will be relieved by a second rotation of DHL employee volunteers next week, once an on-site assessment is done and the scale of the support required is understood.
When deployed, the DRT helps prevent bottlenecks at the airport closest to disaster-affected areas, ensuring essential supplies, such as food, medicine and hygiene kits keep moving - even under the most difficult circumstances. “Following a natural disaster, it is imperative to respond quickly to ensure vital, life-saving relief supplies are available to people in need,” said Gilberto Castro, Senior Director Operations Colombia & Disaster Response Team Director for the Americas, DHL. “DHL’s DRT teams utilize their logistics expertise to provide practical, effective support at airports to ensure fast, well-organized handling of incoming aid supplies,” he added.
As the number of natural disasters increase, governments, disaster relief organizations and businesses are called upon to provide quick and efficient help to disaster victims. Deutsche Post DHL Group’s partnership with the United Nations and other organizations enables the company to serve as an integrated part of an internationally established humanitarian relief system and to make an effective contribution to aid disaster victims.
Deutsche Post DHL Group, the world’s leading logistics provider, has partnered with the United Nations (UN) since 2005 to provide the UN and country-level disaster management organizations with pro bono assistance managing airport logistics and warehousing incoming relief aid during natural disaster recovery efforts.
