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Frequently
Asked Questions about Tsunami Disaster Relief.
Asia’s tsunami disaster drew public attention to not only the
victims’ needs but also the entire “disaster relief”
process. Here are a few of the “frequently asked questions”
posed to our staff.
- Why was “emergency aid” so slow in arriving?
- Why didn’t WER send volunteers right away?
- Why didn’t WER send used clothing to the region?
- How did you get supplies to help in this emergency?
- How does WER select program partners in disasters?
- How long will WER be active in the disaster zone?
- What is WER’s biggest current concern?
- Why was "emergency aid" so slow
in arriving?
WER had rapid response plans, including an 80,000 pound food airlift
from the U.S., but WER’s donated 757 could not get landing
permission from the Thai government, concerned their airports would
be overloaded. WER-UK airlifted 5,000 pounds of blankets, sheets
and food in the air to Sri Lanka within 24 hours of disaster reports
reaching the UK.
While survivors and media complained about a an allegedly slow
global response, agencies worldwide did well during a virtually
global holiday week to gather wide-spread resources flowing to extremely
remote disaster zones where roads and bridges had been washed out.
And this calamity was not just one big disaster but as many as ten,
all with different needs, logistics, political concerns and local
customs to be considered individually.
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- When did WER begin to respond?
All the impacted regions were new to WER, outside of our customary
geographic specialties. Within 48 hours, WER sent a highly experienced
Disaster Assessment Team. During their two-week process of securing
viable partners in the region. WER expects to send volunteer teams
during the lengthy recovery phase, when we are certain their skills
meet local needs and that we can properly care for our volunteers’
health and safety.
Dozens of agencies rushed volunteers to the impacted areas, only
to find either unqualified volunteers were not needed or were blocked
from disaster areas for both safety and logistical reasons. This
massive disaster was not the time for beginners to learn, or for
“looky-loos” to check things out.
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- Why didn’t WER send used clothing
to the region?
We only send quality, appropriate goods, whether purchased or donated.
Used clothing not only clogs logistics for food, medicines and other
needed commodities, but also presents health and legal problems
in the recipient country. Nor does WER have resources to sort, clean
and bundle tons of used clothing for proper shipping and distribution.
Some groups do a responsible, “best practices” job with
used clothing: sorting, cleaning and bundling by hundreds of volunteers
working in huge warehouses. Others simply bag used (and often very
dirty) garments, shipping without any regard to health standards
or local legal considerations. We have chosen a different path which
works best for our program partners and our beneficiaries.
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- How did you get supplies to help in this
emergency?
For quick response, we already had emergency goods in our “pipeline”,
thanks in part to Glasgow The Caring City. And we were fortunate
to quickly purchase 250 “Shelter Boxes” (full of food,
hygiene items, blankets and even a tent) for an airlift to Sri Lanka.
Long term, most of our commodities will be donated medicines, food,
new clothing, construction supplies and hygiene items. Most all
these goods come from businesses eager to help. We rarely accept
such materials from individuals because of product safety issues
as well as the cost-effectiveness of moving smaller quantities.
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- How does WER select program partners in
disasters?
When a disaster strikes within a few miles of a WER partner, as
happened during a volcanic eruption in the Philippines several years
ago, we had a packed warehouse within ten miles of the eruption
and our goods were on the scene within four hours.
For the tsunami, our Disaster Response Team met with government
and agency officials in Thailand and Sri Lanka, to identify specific
local needs and trustworthy partners which will use our resources
well. Our consignees must meet various WER standards, including
accountability standards so we can be sure your donations are best
used for those In need, as well as their ability to clear local
Customs without delay or interference and their experience with
the commodities they request.
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- How long will WER be active in the disaster
zone?
We have already identified several “embraceable communities”
to help over the long term. We expect to work with smaller communities
(perhaps a fishing village) who want to resettle, and to help with
the process, walking and working side-by-side with the displaced
individuals and families. Our goal is restoration, recovery and
relationship in these people’s physical, emotional, spiritual,
economic and social needs. We anticipate 3-5 years for our planned
presence. Others will rebuild hospitals or roads; those are not
our “calling” in this disaster.
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- What is WER’s biggest current concern?
Apart from massive epidemics, our concern is always that aid gets
to those in need. So much money floating at global levels is a huge
temptation for both corruption and wasteful spending. We have already
heard of local governments seizing large shipments of medicines
for their own use, which might not even include tsunami victims.
WER prefers that our resources not be lumped with government resources;
we can not account for proper use of our resources, which is an
absolute audit and transparency requirement for us.
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