Estonia sends team of rescuers to Haiti
The Rescue Board will send a two-member rescue team to Haiti to help deal with the consequences of Hurricane Matthew and coordinate aid.
The team is scheduled to depart for Haiti on Sunday, and their mission will last up to 21 days. They are part of a coordinated effort of Finnish, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian rescuers, with British financial support.
More than 750,000 residents of Haiti are affected by the consequences of the hurricane, and in some places over 80% of the local infrastructure has been damaged, the Rescue Board’s director general, Kuno Tammearu, said on Friday. Because of that, there was need of field camp equipment and relief experts in Haiti.
The Estonian rescue team had the necessary training and was prepared to respond to international emergencies, Minister of the Interior Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said. “It is obvious that Haiti needs international assistance now, and if we’re in a position to go to their aid together with our partners we’ll do it,” Pevkur added.
The Rescue Board has been allocated €48,800 from the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cover the cost of the mission.
Hurricane Matthew hit southern Haiti on Oct. 4. It affected around 1.5 million people and left 350,000 people in need of humanitarian aid. The Haitian government requested international assistance on Oct. 5.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS