10-09-2019

Following the destructive category five hurricane Dorian, DHL has sent volunteers from the Disaster Response Team (DRT) to the Bahamas to logistically handle relief supplies for the victims. The first relief supplies delivered by the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) in a wide-bodied charter aircraft were transported by DPDHL employees to a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse for onward distribution to those in need in Freeport, Nassau and Abaco. In Total thus far more than 136 tons of relief goods have already been dispatched by the DRT team under the leadership of Gilberto Castro, Senior Director Operations Colombia & GoHelp Manager for the Americas region at DPDHL.

The six DPDHL DRT employees arrived from Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Florida and will be relieved by a second rotation of DPDHL employee volunteers mid this week. 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. "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 public-private-partnership with the United Nations 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 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.

Source: Deutsche Post DHL