Gaza – The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) opened the National Disaster Response Team (NDRT) camp in its branches in Gaza Strip for the first time, with the participation of its volunteers and some workers from the Civil Defense and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) in the city of Al-Zahra’ in the Gaza Strip.
The camp, which was opened by the PRCS’ Director General Dr. Khaled Joudeh, included theoretical and practical trainings on the themes of Shelter, Water and Sanitation, Health in Emergencies, Logistic Support, the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Safer Access, Prevention and Safety, Maneuvering, Mobile Medical Unit, Evacuation in the concept of Disaster Management, Mental Health and People with Disability during emergencies.
The one-week camp which was supervised by a specialized team from the disaster management unit and the operations coordinators and heads of the PRCS’ departments in Gaza Strip is the first of its kind in Gaza Strip and third of its kind in the Palestine; the camp was established to prepare a national and specialized team for intervention during disasters and emergencies and to be ready at times of crises.
Dr. Joudeh affirmed that the organization of the camp comes as part of the efforts of the PRCS to provide the local community with a national team, with high-quality and specialized capabilities in the field of response during disasters and at times of emergencies, and to be able to offer health and humanitarian service in the best possible manner to the citizens. He added that reinforcing the role of local communities and the PRCS branches is one of the strategic goals of PRCS.
He praised the efforts of the volunteers in working fast to establish the camp and erect the tents and sections and the education halls and the yards for practical training; all these were prepared to meet with the topics and themes dealing with fast response of relief teams during disasters.