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Four-day program with UN puts DHL volunteers through a real-life exercise for 2010 Mount Merapi eruption
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DHL, the world's leading logistics company, has conducted a four-day emergency relief simulation course in Indonesia with the Indonesian Army, 27 in-country volunteers and 7 volunteers from its South East Asia DHL Disaster Response Team (DHL DRT). DHL DRT has over 400 volunteers worldwide creating a global disaster relief network for vulnerable regions and managed by the DHL GoHelp network in Panama, Dubai and Singapore.
Carl Schelfhaut, Head of International Relations & Disaster Management Asia Pacific for Deutsche Post DHL, said: "DHL Disaster Response Teams have years of experience in assisting relief efforts during natural disasters. We know that better preparedness and regular emergency logistics training on how to handle the massive support from other countries is critical to getting the right help to the communities that need it faster and more effectively. A total of seven DRT training courses were held across Asia Pacific in 2011, preparing more than 250 DHL employees for future deployments; and this year, we will have held 3 trainings including Indonesia for new volunteers who have joined our contingent during the year."
In Indonesia, DHL DRT volunteers from every DHL division including DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Global Mail and DHL Supply Chain participated in the training. To provide the volunteers with a realistic training, DHL DRT used the 2010 Mount Merapi eruption as a disaster scenario for the real-life deployment where volunteers applied their knowledge and training on disaster relief fundamentals, warehouse management of genuine relief supplies for the affected communities, and how to work effectively with UN and other disaster relief organizations.
For the training, DHL Supply Chain's customer, Unilever also came on board by contributing the products for the community. Abdul Rahim Tahir, Managing Director DHL Supply Chain Indonesia and also GoHelp Manager for the country said: "Regular training courses and intensive simulations like this in Indonesia keep volunteers and professionals deployment-ready. With the gracious donations from Unilever, one of our key partners in Indonesia, we have been able to provide additional provisions and supplies for aid recipients in the Mount Merapi area."
Together, DHL DRT teams set up an emergency warehouse in Desa Kepuharjo and learned how to create and dispatch speedballs, DHL's innovative disaster relief solution designed to deliver aid to inaccessible areas. Aid supplies are packed into DHL courier bags, robust enough to be dropped by aircraft and capable of holding up to 25kg of relief supplies. In 2011, DHL DRT teams processed about 115 tonnes of relief supplies for New Zealand and El Salvador, and packed over 10,500 Speedballs during aid relief efforts around the world, mainly in El Salvador.
DHL's GoHelp program provides the UN with free access to DHL's logistics expertise, resources and global network as part of a strategic disaster management partnership that provides quick and effective humanitarian relief. DHL DRT, which can be on the ground and operational within 72 hours of activation by the UN, provides critical support in the movement of relief supplies, including unloading cargo planes and conducting professional warehousing and inventory. DRT teams deploy for up to three weeks at a time, with up to 10 employees making up a single DRT.
DHL has signed MOUs with several countries in disaster-prone regions to provide the services of DRTs, allowing governments to request support directly and accelerating DRT deployments. In 2011, El Salvador, Turkey and Chile signed MOUs with DHL and Bangladesh joined the list in 2012.
As part of GoHelp, DHL also runs a disaster preparedness program called "Get Airports Ready for Disaster" (GARD) with partner UN Development Program. GARD trains airport personnel and staff from disaster management agencies for the logistics challenges posed by natural disasters and their aftermath. It was launched in 2009 and piloted successfully in disaster-prone Indonesia. It has been rolled out in Nepal, Bangladesh, Turkey and Lebanon with a follow-up GARD towards the end of the year in Indonesia.
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