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| China: Red Cross Red Crescent sends tents, field hospitals and international disaster relief experts to help earthquake survivors 27 May 2008 With more than five million people left homeless after the devastating earthquake in Sichuan, according to the ministry of civil affairs, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is aiming to send up to 100,000 tents to Chengdu for distribution to the affected areas to help meet this urgent need for emergency shelter. “Although these tents are far from the comforts of their former homes, they will provide families with a dry place to sleep until more permanent structures are built,” says Carl Naucler, head of delegation for the International Federation in Beijing. “The Red Cross is also exploring how we can support the building of thousands of semi-permanent structures.” To date, the Chinese Red Cross has provided more than 18,000 tents to survivors from its regional warehouses to eight affected provinces. In addition to local medical teams on the ground, the German Red Cross has a 120 bed field hospital in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, staffed with doctors, technicians and nurses. As well, additional international disaster relief workers will support the strong local response by the Chinese Red Cross already underway. Two of the five additional international relief workers have arrived in the affected area to look into needs for logistics, shelter and longer term recovery. “Red Cross and Red Crescent experts will help coordinate and lead our support to the Chinese Red Cross,” says Qinghui Gu, regional disaster management coordinator for the International Federation. “The local Red Cross staff and volunteers are the backbone of our operation with the manpower and the local knowledge of the landscape, culture, and language to help get the appropriate assistance quickly to the most vulnerable people,” he added. More than 35,000 local Red Cross staff and volunteers have been working with over 120 rescue and health teams to provide medical attention, distribute tents, food, water, clothes and other relief items. Over 200 Red Cross trucks are transporting relief items on a daily basis and over 500 Red Cross volunteers are also providing logistics support and psychosocial counseling. For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact: Francis Markus, spokesperson (Beijing) Tel: + 86 139 100 96 892 Eric Porterfield, media officer (Kuala Lumpur) Tel: +60 12 38 70 829 Media unit duty phone (Geneva) Tel: + 41 79 416 38 81 The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 186 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. © International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies |
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