A couple of weeks after Typhoon Haiyan, known as Yolanda locally, made landfall in the Philippines and caused absolute chaos and destruction, the rescue teams are still hard at work.
SDV Philippines has been engaged in aid and relief operations by supporting two organizations: HK Logistics, a company accredited by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the UN World Food Program. A team comprising of six SDV experts in crisis management has been dedicated to support all logistics activities and onsite staff in Tacloban and Cebu.
HK Logistics’ first priority was to setup a field hospital with a surgery room in Tacloban, aiming at welcoming 60 doctors and nurses as well as accommodating 250 victims a day. Staff and equipment are transferred by planes doing rotations from Cebu to Tacloban, as well as by an aircraft bringing in supplies directly from Australia.
To assist these operations, the SDV team now provides ground handling services to unload and overhaul the planes arriving in the Philippines, besides doing the customs clearance of the cargo. In addition, ground transportation of air crews and staff are taken care of 24/7 to ensure flawless operations. Fifteen trucks and one barge are also in rotation, from Cebu to Tacloban, to transport water, fuel, food, medicines and all type of equipment for the needs of the hospital in the shortest possible time.
“Organizing logistics for relief efforts requests speed and innovation.
Remote locations and damaged infrastructure can severely slow down our actions,” said Mr. Basile Ricard, General Manager, Operations at SDV Philippines. The first surgery was successfully conducted only five days after the typhoon slammed the Philippines. “We also provide logistical support onsite, in Tacloban, the most affected area, by re-filling water and fuel tanks to empower the communities and facilitate the relief,” states Ricard.
SDV has engaged 30 trucks to support the World Food Program in order to pick up food from various ports and airports of the archipelago and distribute it to Tacloban and surroundings. Unique solutions have been set up to manage the operations around the clock. As already requested by the WFP, SDV is designing logistics solutions for other affected areas in the Philippines.
Expert in aid & relief logistics, SDV assists international organizations and NGOs by implementing emergency logistics with dedicated teams.
Our customized solutions take into account all the constraints and local conditions to perfectly meet the emergency. Our onsite facilities and information systems allow reactivity, traceability and innovation of our approach.
Contact Person: Stephanie Dehan
Email: s.dehan@sdv.com
Telephone: 66 (0) 2260 8219
Website: www.sdv.com
SOURCE / SDV