NATO responds to Pakistani request for relief assistance

Pakistani flood survivors arrive after being evacuated by US rescue helicopter in Khwazakhela, in Swat valley on August 9, 2010.

From NATO:  Today the Government of Pakistan has formally requested NATO’s assistance for its flood response efforts. The North Atlantic Council has tasked the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) at NATO Headquarters in Brussel to act as a clearing-house for humanitarian assistance offered by Allies and partner nations.

Example of earlier NATO cooperation with Pakistan:  (October 2005) Start of Pakistan earthquake relief operation; NATO airlifts supplies via two air bridges, from Germany and Turkey.

(January 2006) End of NATO’s earthquake relief operation in Pakistan. Almost 3500 tons of relief supplies, over 7600 people moved, more than 8000 patients treated. In addition, roads cleared, schools and shelters built.

Background on the  Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center:  The Centre is part of the International Staff’s Operations Division located at NATO’s Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium and is staffed by up to five secondees from NATO and partner countries and three members of NATO’s International Staff. The Centre liaises closely with UN OCHA, the NATO Military Authorities (NMAs) and other relevant International Organizations (IOs). During an actual disaster, the EADRCC can temporarily be augmented with additional personnel from EAPC delegations to NATO, or NATO’s international civilian and military staffs. In addition, the EADRCC has access to national civil experts that can be called up to provide the Centre with particular advice in different areas in the event of a major disaster. …

The Centre was created in 1998 by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) as one of the two basic elements of the EAPC policy on “Enhanced Practical Cooperation in the Field of International Disaster Relief”. The other element is the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Unit (EADRU) – a non-standing, multi-national force of civil and military elements, which can be deployed in the event of a major natural or man-made disaster in an EAPC country.  (photo: Getty)

This article is part of the series Pakistan Floods: Hope from Tragedy. To find a series description and links to related posts, please click here.

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