Delivering the goods to quake-stricken Bam

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By Suzanne Charest in Bam, Iran

Among the dozens of tents that house offices and accommodation for the international Red Cross Red Crescent team in Bam, lies the Logistics Emergency Response Unit (ERU), that group of people that ensures the pipeline of relief goods runs smoothly to the tens of thousands who need it.

They may do their work behind the scenes, but this joint British and Danish Red Cross ERU is a crucial part of the earthquake relief operations.

“We arrived on December 28, just shortly after the Field Assessment and Coordination Team,” says Richard North, Logistics ERU Team Leader. “We had originally intended to set up our operations in Kerman, but quickly realized that our destination would be Bam.”

The Logistics ERU erected the first tent at the Red Cross Red Crescent compound in Bam. The five-person team consists of a team leader, a systems expert, both a transport and a warehousing specialist and an air operations coordinator. A procurement delegate is also based in Kerman province along with a translator from the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).

“Our first objective was to bring in the ten ERUs that focus on health, water and sanitation, relief and psycho-social support,” adds North. “We worked 24 hours a day for the first few days, bringing in trucks, stock and staff that support the ERUs.”

In between bringing in ERUs, the Logistics Team also managed the receipt and transportation of relief goods that went directly to the Iranian Red Crescent for immediate distribution to the thousands of people left vulnerable.

“There is a always a great need for flexibility in logistics, as sometimes aircraft show up unexpectedly or do not show up as scheduled,” says North. “During the first few days, we were sometimes swamped with trying to manage the arrival of three or four aircraft at the same time. It was challenging to maintain the paper work and look after such specialized, expensive equipment.”

With the help of more than 50 Iranian Red Crescent volunteers, eight gigantic Rubb halls (2,000 sq metres each) have been constructed to warehouse the blankets, plastic sheeting, tents, kitchen sets and other relief items shipped from all over the world.

“Our focus is to ensure that tracking controls are put in place so that we can produce daily monitoring reports listing the goods received and shipped out to those needing it the most,” concludes North.

The importance of this logistical support is sometimes overlooked, but is nonetheless crucial to ensuring that such a major relief operation runs like clockwork.