Question about US/western disaster relief

[Flagg]

Can anyone answer this question for their respective countries?

When it comes to providing humanitarian relief support to catastrophic events such as the recent tsunami/earthquake in Asia, is any pre-positioning or "packaging" already in place, or does equipment, consumables, units, personnel have to be chopped and hastily assembled?

The reason why I'm asking is that, on the surface, the amount of IMMEDIATE assistance rendered in dollar terms seems quite low(barring things like deploying a $$$ carrier group $$$). And I don't mean that as an insult, it's actually why I'm asking the question.

For wealthy western nations, I'd think the investment(if not already done) would be relatively small, and the potential benefits(although intangible) could be HUGE.

Setting aside $10-20 million to warehouse pre-packaged equipment(water purification gears, high density meals, emergency shelters, engineering gears, medical support gears and consumables, heaps of cheap cell and RF comms gears) wouldn't be much of a line item in a large western budget.

I would also think the specialist pers and airlift could work on a rotating standby(the likelihood of getting deployed isn't THAT high as these big global media catastrophes happen infrequently, but enough to justify it).

Including civvie specialists would also be beneficial(like specialist dog-teams, translators, State Dept./Ministry of Foreign Affairs liason specialists, etc.)

Having had some training in DOMESTIC emergency scenarios, I wonder how much effort(if any) is put into training and integrating for INTERNATIONS emergency scenarios.

I hate to sound cold and calculating, but waving around a flag showing support at the coalface has got to be pretty good PR value with the general populace...especially if you can be wheels up and in theatre while every other friendly nation is wondering what to do.

Does this already exist?

Is there any room for further improvement?

What do you folks think?

[Ichhabe]

Here in Norway we have the Norwegian Red Cross and Norwegian Peoples Aid alongside with the Churches Aid having the personell that is necessary for such relief operations.
They do of course have storages ready with emergency material and medicines.
Problem is that they can't have it all since every natural disaster is unique in itself.
There are some here critisising this and that country for not giving help, not fast enoughm, not enough or God knows what. That is actually the largest problem, ironicly in a disaster area after the disaster. All kinds of organizations comming in and want a share of the good PR such aid will give. The Norwegian organizations have as a rule that they offer help, and then asks what is needed before overhastely sending in bathtubs, gymnastic machines and catnip in to the area. It is incredible what some organizations mean what is a good idea to send in to a earthquake- or flooded aera.

The Norwegian organizations also work alongside with the Norwgian government to assure a lont term help also. Cause after the first initial disaster, there are need for hospitals for a long time since in many cases the lack of infrastructure can have been totally destroyed. Like in Bam, Iran there is now a field hospital run by the Norwgian Red Cross.

[gilgoul]

Can anyone answer this question for their respective countries?

When it comes to providing humanitarian relief support to catastrophic events such as the recent tsunami/earthquake in Asia, is any pre-positioning or "packaging" already in place, or does equipment, consumables, units, personnel have to be chopped and hastily assembled?

The reason why I'm asking is that, on the surface, the amount of IMMEDIATE assistance rendered in dollar terms seems quite low(barring things like deploying a $$$ carrier group $$$). And I don't mean that as an insult, it's actually why I'm asking the question.

For wealthy western nations, I'd think the investment(if not already done) would be relatively small, and the potential benefits(although intangible) could be HUGE.

Setting aside $10-20 million to warehouse pre-packaged equipment(water purification gears, high density meals, emergency shelters, engineering gears, medical support gears and consumables, heaps of cheap cell and RF comms gears) wouldn't be much of a line item in a large western budget.

I would also think the specialist pers and airlift could work on a rotating standby(the likelihood of getting deployed isn't THAT high as these big global media catastrophes happen infrequently, but enough to justify it).

Including civvie specialists would also be beneficial(like specialist dog-teams, translators, State Dept./Ministry of Foreign Affairs liason specialists, etc.)

Having had some training in DOMESTIC emergency scenarios, I wonder how much effort(if any) is put into training and integrating for INTERNATIONS emergency scenarios.

I hate to sound cold and calculating, but waving around a flag showing support at the coalface has got to be pretty good PR value with the general populace...especially if you can be wheels up and in theatre while every other friendly nation is wondering what to do.

Does this already exist?

Is there any room for further improvement?

What do you folks think?

It does here in Israel.
Not in terms of predeployement (it is funny to think of an IDF predeployement anywhere in the world). Though, we are both close to Europe and Asia.
Most of the relief work here relies in the hands of the Army, through the Home front comand (Pikud ha oref), it is in charge of rescue, medical assistance, decontamination to a certain extend, and has at it`s disposal both regular and reserve troops, mobilisable and deployable quickly.
While emergency depots are reachable within a minimum laps with full range equipement.
That`s why within hours doctors and emergency personel where already flying to Sri Lanka.
Our only problem is politic, as many countries "hesitate" to accept our relief efforts and mission, or demand that no IDF personel be involved, wich limits the capacity of inteervention, since the IDF is in charge when it comes to large sites of intervention.

[shrek]

Here's the way it's done:

When a disaster happens they start the wheels rolling in Washington! The first estimates that you see are what it's gonna cost to get everything moving. Water, medical care, immediate disease control are on the tops of the list! The initial estimates of of the cost of aid that you see are for these things. They do not balloon these estimates because they are what they are; estimates!
When other things are found to be needed they are figured into these estimates. All told, the final cost will be phenomenal, a stab at it that I heard from the US side alone is approaching 1 Billion dollars. More money than the yearly economies of most of the countries that we are rushing to aid! And remember, that's our money, our tax dollars. If we could put 1 Billion dollars into the education of our children or cancer research or to feed our own hungry it would have an affect that is impossible to calculate. But instead we are sending it all to countries that most of us can't even spell and I doubt few of us could point to on a map!

Be careful, once again it is the press that's bringing you the stories of these estimates. And we all know about the press....right?

[NcDeuce]

1 Billion dollars into the education of our children or cancer research or to feed our own hungry it would have an affect that is impossible to calculate. But instead we are sending it all to countries that most of us can't even spell and I doubt few of us could point to on a map!

Agreed

[Trident-za]

I don't know anything about whether Western countries have "pre-packaging" etc. in place. I am very impressed, though, at how quicky the South African government got some sort of response going after this disaster. I'm still not entirely sure what the response entails in it's entirety, but I did see TV footage of a whole (747) plane load of medics and supplies being sent out. Admittedly, the primary purpose of the plane was to bring back South African citizens who were injured, but I'm sure the medics/supplies will be useful on the "sharp end". Given how many road deaths we typically have over this time of year, these medics would probably better serve the country right here, not in SE Asia. Our government seems to rate this disaster to be more worthy of concern though, and I agree with them.

I know that SA medics also played a big role fairly recently in various earthquakes around the world. I have no idea of the total cost, but it can't be small. For a "developing country" to organize this sort of response on short notice, and spend money we could DEFINITELY use for education, treatment of AIDs victims etc. etc. is quite amazing, in my opinion. Proportionaly speaking (i.e. money spent vs GDP for South Africa and USA), I have no doubt that the SA government has spent far more money than they should have on this event - and I'm damn glad for it. This sort of event demands international help, irrespective of the cost.

[Trident-za]

1 Billion dollars into the education of our children or cancer research or to feed our own hungry it would have an affect that is impossible to calculate. But instead we are sending it all to countries that most of us can't even spell and I doubt few of us could point to on a map!

Agreed

If you want an extra billion to spend on education, spend less on bombs? Just an idea.... this is a real global disaster, and requires a response, in my opinion.

[shrek]

we'll spend less on bombs when countries like Iraq, Iran, North Korea and AFRICA stop harboring terrorist organizations that force us into wars!

:|

[Aerosoul]

we'll spend less on bombs when countries like Iraq, Iran, North Korea and AFRICA stop harboring terrorist organizations that force us into wars!

:|

Ohhh Snap! Go Shrek!

[Trident-za]

we'll spend less on bombs when countries like Iraq, Iran, North Korea and AFRICA stop harboring terrorist organizations that force us into wars!

:|

I understand, and agree, with your point Shrek. But the fact remains the death toll is currently at 77 000, and counting. Without proper aid, the death toll will be triple this figure easily (once the diseases etc. get going). How much money has been spent in response to the 5000 odd deaths caused by 911? A fair bit more than a billion $ I would guess.

I'm not disputing the spending of that money in response to 911 either. But if the entire planet starts to react to global disasters by factoring in "how could we better spend this money on ourselves?", we are all screwed. The coalition of the willing would never have got off the ground, for a start. This money has to spent, unfortunately....

P.S. If you ever find Al-Qaieda terrosrists building bombs in South Africa, call me - I'll be the dude providing you with on-the-ground-intel.

[Macs.]

we'll spend less on bombs when countries like Iraq, Iran, North Korea and AFRICA stop harboring terrorist organizations that force us into wars!

:|

Number 1 is for me still Saudi Arabia.

[fantassin]

France has got three dedicated units called UISC numered 1,5 and 7 (unité d'instruction et d'intervention de la sécurité civile) that are military units under the command of the Interior Ministry. Two are "intervention" units with three or four deployable companies and UISC 5 is the command element.

They are on permanent standby and have participated to most of the world's relief Ops since they were created in 1978.

They recruit among the regular army (a lot of sappers and engineer types).

They do everything from earthquakes to forest fires and have access to a vast array of specialized gear.

http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/rubriques/c/c5_defense_secu_civil/c55_autres_acteurs/index_html/formisc

The Paris and Marseilles Fire Brigades also belong to the Army (Paris) and Navy (Marseilles) and they often send detachnment abroad.

http://www.bspp.fr/accueil.htm

http://www.nefert.net/pomp/us/page_2.htm

That is without counting all the civilian relief agencies and NGOs....

[Trident-za]

we'll spend less on bombs when countries like Iraq, Iran, North Korea and AFRICA stop harboring terrorist organizations that force us into wars!

:|

I assume the capitilization of the word AFRICA was not a typo? I assume you realize that AFRICA is huge, with more countries than the USA has states? And I assume that you are educated enough not to condemn an entire continent (which is bigger than the USA and Canada combined) on the basis of a few country's actions?

Perhaps I made too many assumptions, but thats how your post came across.

[Jedburgh]

The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)

OFDA is the office within USAID responsible for providing non-food humanitarian assistance in response to international crises and disasters. The USAID Administrator is designated as the President's Special Coordinator for International Disaster Assistance and USAID/OFDA assists in the coordination of this assistance. OFDA is part of the Bureau for Humanitarian Response (DCHA), along with the Office of Food for Peace (DCHA/FFP), the Office of Transition Initiatives (DCHA/OTI), the Office of Private and Voluntary Cooperation (DCHA/PVC), and the Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (DCHA/ASHA).

USAID/OFDA is organized into three divisions. The Disaster Response and Mitigation (DRM) division is responsible for coordinating with other organizations for the provision of relief supplies and humanitarian assistance. DRM also devises, coordinates, and implements program strategies for the application of science and technology to prevention, mitigation, and national and international preparedness initiatives for a variety of natural and man-made disaster situations. The Operations Division (OPS) develops and manages logistical, operational, and technical support for disaster responses. OPS maintains readiness to respond to emergencies through several mechanisms, including managing several Search and Rescue (SAR) Teams, the Ground Operations Team (GO Team), field Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART), and the Washington Response Management teams (RMT). The Program Support (PS) division provides programmatic and administrative support, including budget/financial services, procurement planning, contract/grant administration, general administrative support, and communication support for both USAID/OFDA Washington, D.C. and its field offices.

INDIAN OCEAN – Earthquake and Tsunamis (http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/countries/indian_ocean/fy2005/indianocean_et_fs02_12-28-2004.pdf)

USAID/DART Staff Members Arrive in the Region
- The USAID/Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) leader in Bangkok, Thailand, is leading a regional team comprised of public health specialists, water and sanitation experts, field officers, and an information officer. Presently, three USAID/DART members are in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and one is in Phuket, Thailand. In addition, a military liaison officer is scheduled to join the USAID/DART in Thailand on December 29 to coordinate relief activities with the Joint United States Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG).

[Aerosoul]

we'll spend less on bombs when countries like Iraq, Iran, North Korea and AFRICA stop harboring terrorist organizations that force us into wars!

:|

I understand, and agree, with your point Shrek. But the fact remains the death toll is currently at 77 000, and counting. Without proper aid, the death toll will be triple this figure easily (once the diseases etc. get going). How much money has been spent in response to the 5000 odd deaths caused by 911? A fair bit more than a billion $ I would guess.

5,000? Uhh not quite. Try about 2900. If you're referring to other deaths indirectly caused by 9/11 then say so. But even then though I'm not sure what you're referring to.

[Aerosoul]

And for everyone bashing the US's relief effort. Shove it. We're giving more than anyone right now. BY FAR. And we're only a couple days into this, and the amount of aid from the US keeps increasing. So back off folks and give some of your own damn money.

[Trident-za]

And for everyone bashing the US's relief effort. Shove it. We're giving more than anyone right now. BY FAR. And we're only a couple days into this, and the amount of aid from the US keeps increasing. So back off folks and give some of your own damn money.

Why the hostility? Who is bashing the US's effort? Yes, I mentioned a propertional issue (work it out for yourself?)... but nobody has "bashed" the US input.... it's more than likely appreciated immensely by those receiving it.

[Ichhabe]

And for everyone bashing the US's relief effort. Shove it. We're giving more than anyone right now. BY FAR. And we're only a couple days into this, and the amount of aid from the US keeps increasing. So back off folks and give some of your own damn money.

Why the hostility? Who is bashing the US's effort? Yes, I mentioned a propertional issue (work it out for yourself?)... but nobody has "bashed" the US input.... it's more than likely appreciated immensely by those receiving it.

I can not even with the help of all the neighbours in my street see where the bashing is. It seems like some Americans see bashing cause they want to see it. Jesus on a pogostick, relax will you?!?

[mlrs84]

I think that eveybody who can spare something extra should give it to aid. And besides, US is by far the richest nation on earth, therefore I think that they should also give the most. And 1 billion dollar is not more than one day of fighting in Iraq.

PS! If you don't even know how to ****ounce India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand, then I can understand why you think you need this for your own education. :roll:

[Aerosoul]

And for everyone bashing the US's relief effort. Shove it. We're giving more than anyone right now. BY FAR. And we're only a couple days into this, and the amount of aid from the US keeps increasing. So back off folks and give some of your own damn money.

Why the hostility? Who is bashing the US's effort? Yes, I mentioned a propertional issue (work it out for yourself?)... but nobody has "bashed" the US input.... it's more than likely appreciated immensely by those receiving it.

I can not even with the help of all the neighbours in my street see where the bashing is. It seems like some Americans see bashing cause they want to see it. Jesus on a pogostick, relax will you?!?

My apologies.

[szr]

PS! If you don't even know how to ****ounce India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand, then I can understand why you think you need this for your own education. :roll:What the hell are you talking about?

By the way, the $35mil is an initial amount that can be tapped for immediate use by aid groups if I understand correctly. It's cash for immediate non-specific spending to get the ball rolling. We are almost certain to donate more as we identify specific needs where funds should be directed. We're also sending the entire USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and USS Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group with embarked aircraft and Marines, which is very expensive. So consider that another donation.

[usa320]

From what i understand most of the aid will be assembled and deployed over time.


But i read there was a response unit on Alert in Dubai, basically a few C-130's chocked full of medics, supplies, tents, things like that, that was ready to go as soon as they got word of the quake.


So some of the response is immediate, alot of it will take time to move into position, such as the CVGB and the ARG.

[bloddyaxe]

We've got bunches of people ready to go and assist, also the Red cross here has stocks of aid stuff.
Actually this time our Red cross and so on made a record in collecting money for this disaster. I think they got two million crowns in a day or so.