trailer world issue One 2010

8 Issue One 2010 Title City reduced to rubble: disaster logistics often begins by getting rid of the damaged infrastructure. In this situation, private logistics firms can help with their know-how, workforce and means of transport. Since 2006, DHL has been operating three Disaster Response Teams (DRT) worldwide with altogether 200 vol- untary employees, based in Singapore, Dubai and Miami. From here they can move quick- ly to those regions most frequently affected by natural disasters. The teams are made up of voluntary logistics experts for handling goods, for warehouse and stock management or customs procedures. When a disaster hap- pens, the employees can be on site and ready for action within 72 hours. After the earthquake in Haiti, the DRTs at Santo Domingo airport were involved in ground logistics to ensure that the relief aid coming from smaller NGOs and aid agencies was unloaded properly. They set up a ware- house for trucks to collect the goods. The team ensured that every day, more than 100 tons of aid such as water, medicine, emer- gency food rations and tents were brought to the needy earthquake victims, without letting the airport premises get clogged up by piles of empty cardboard boxes. The support provided for humanitarian aid by DHL as a private logistics company is not a one-off. For some years now, Søren Chris- tensen, Head of “Emergency & Relief Logis- tics” at the logistics company Kühne+Nagel, has observed a growing commitment from private companies in the humanitarian sec- tor. “The tsunami initiated the largest PR cam- paigns since the Second World War”, he said. “Since then, it has become attractive for many companies to play an active front-line role af- ter major disasters.” Particularly when inter- national companies already have a presence in an affected country, many customers and employees expect them to become involved. This is joined by the general trend to social commitment or so-called “corporate social responsibility”. Growth of crisis logistics on the private sector City reduced to rubble: disaster logistics often begins by getting rid of the damaged infrastructure »It‘s difficult to sleep with airplanes land- ing round the clock.« Chris Weeks, DHL Disaster Response Team Photos:picturealliance,DHL

trailer world issue One 2010

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