On February 13, 2023 at around 8:30 p.m., the 50 experts from the SEEBA rapid deployment unit for salvage abroad from the Technical Relief Agency (THW), the emergency services from I.S.A.R.-Germany and the Federal Association of Rescue Dogs BRH landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport from their mission in the Earthquake area coming back from Turkey.
"It is a proud achievement that our volunteers have accomplished in Turkey," says THW President Gerd Friedsam, who received the volunteers at Cologne/Bonn Airport. During the operation in Turkey, the team managed to free two women together with other rescue workers from the rubble.
When several severe earthquakes shook Turkey and Syria six days ago, the 50-strong SEEBA set off for the earthquake region in Turkey. Two people, together with other rescue workers, were able to free them from the rubble after more than 100 or more than 130 hours. In addition to the rescue operations, the helpers also carried out numerous consultations and investigations in the damaged area. “Our volunteers made an important contribution on site. Your commitment saved lives and gave hope,” says THW President Gerd Friedsam. With the end of the SEEBA mission, however, THW's overall mission after the severe earthquake does not end. “In the past few days we have already provided over 100 tons of relief supplies for Turkey. At our logistics center in Baden-Württemberg, around 370 pallets with relief supplies for north-west Syria are now ready and will soon be on their way,” explains Gerd Friedsam.
The SEEBA forces are the specialists for rescue and recovery in disaster areas, for example after earthquakes. Equipped with modern technology and search dogs, the helpers search for survivors. Within a very short time after being alerted, the SEEBA forces are ready to take off. Your equipment is packed in light metal crates and can be transported in conventional commercial aircraft. SEEBA was deployed after the severe earthquakes in Iran in 2003, in Pakistan in 2005 and in Japan in 2011. Most recently, in 2020, she supported international relief efforts after the explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The SEEBA was reclassified in 2017 according to the international framework (INSARAG-Guidelines) of the United Nations.
27 авг 2024