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DHL, UNDP assist Maldives in preparing disaster-response airport plan

DEUTSCHE Post DHL Group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are assisting authorities in the Maldives to prepare for future natural disasters by holding a workshop designed to help officials from the South Asian nation devise customised disaster-response plan for their airports.

The two partners have teamed up with Maldives Airports Company Ltd, National Disaster Management Centre, government officials, military personnel and humanitarian response experts to host their Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) programme this month at Velana International Airport, the main international airport in the Maldives.

During the four-day GARD workshop that will be led by specialists from Deutsche Post DHL Group and UNDP, participants and trainers will assess and evaluate the current level of preparedness at the airports, conduct training exercises, and develop specific recommendations and an action plan to ensure that the airports in the Maldives are prepared for future disasters.

The workshops will also raise awareness of disaster risk reduction and identify priorities for investment in national infrastructure that could further improve the resilience of emergency supply chains during a disaster.

"A clear and flexible action plan can help airport operators to minimize logistics bottlenecks and better manage sudden influxes of relief aid, bulky supplies like food, water and medical supplies, as well as NGO personnel entering the country," director of humanitarian affairs for DHL, Chris Weeks, was quoted as saying in a report from Media OutReach.

"The Maldives is situated in an isolated position in the Indian Ocean. Airports can play an important role in the country's resilience to potential natural disasters, and are critical to its emergency response capability," said UN resident coordinator and UNDP president representative in the Maldives, Shoko Noda.

"The impact of the 2004 tsunami showed the extent of damage that can be caused by a disaster, and the need to react quickly to contain additional losses. More than 100,000 people (33 per cent of the population) suffered directly or indirectly from the tsunami, which caused loss of life, large-scale flooding and damage.

"The GARD workshop is an opportunity to develop strong and effective contingency plans to manage the flow of emergency relief goods to the people in need. It will assist in UNDP's ongoing efforts to support the Maldivian government to prepare for future disasters," Mr Noda said.