SAMS
(Syrian American Medical Society) Documentary 2012 - The Syrian
Humanitarian Catastrophe. TheAmerican Relief
Coalition for Syria (ARCS) was formed in early
April, is a group of 18 U.S.-based relief and humanitarian
organizations whose focus is to facilitate humanitarian assistance for
Syria and respond to emergency situations. The Coalition includes the
following members:
Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS)
Syrian Sunrise Foundation (SSF)
Syria Relief and Development (SRD)
NuDay Syria
The Maram Foundation
Swasia Charity Foundation
Zakat Foundation
Syrian Orphans
Hope for Syria
Mercy Without Limits
Life for Relief and Development
Karam Foundation
Shaam Relief Foundation
Syrian American Engineers Association (SAEA)
Syrian Center for Political and Strategic
Studies (SCPSS), advisory member
Syrian Expatriates Organization (SEO),
advisory member
----------------------------------------------------- Special thanks to Dr. Zehra Gilic,
Veterinary ExpertBosnia and
Herzegovina. Fellow representative for Vet 2011.
4 March 2012
Confusion Regarding Logistical Planning for Emergency Response
When the size and scope of a humanitarian crisis is beyond the
operational capacities of relief organizations and UN Agencies, then
resources equipped to handle large scale logistical challenges need to
be engaged.
Two such emergencies that HRI:IDIN mediated assistance with were the
Tsunami in Indonesia and Hurricane Katrina in the United States: See:
the Pathobiologics
International Operational Medicine (Emergency Medical/Veterinary
Selfcare) site.
The key focus is the
systemic collapse of critical infrastructure.
With the Tsunami, we made sure within minutes of projected impact,
demographic population maps with contrast wave destruction projections,
and made sure they were infront of disaster planners in every UN
country through IDIN. Governments then responded in real time, at the
speed of an email. See: U.S.
Forces Aid Tsunami Relief Efforts in Southeast Asia:
U.S. Department of Defense.
The same efforts were done in the United States with Hurricane Katrina,
when the size and scope of the disaster were beyond the capacity for
State and federal disaster relief agencies capabilities. Up until
this crisis, there existed no strategic plan for DOD support of relief
efforts, this challenge has now been addressed. See: Systemic Collapse: Medical Care in the Aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina: Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: biodefense
Strategy, Practice, and Science, Volume 4, Number 2, 2006.
UPMC: Center
for Biosecurity: Publications by year.
The United States has
provided the International community with a reference point and example
for NATO, that needs to coordinate a
Global Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief & Mine Action
Strategic Plan. See: Humanitarian
Assistance,
Disaster Relief & Mine Action: U.S.
Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Center.
Contact:
Stephen M. Apatow Founder,
Director of Research & Development Humanitarian
Resource Institute (UN:NGO:DESA) Humanitarian University
Consortium Graduate Studies Center
for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine & Law Phone:
203-668-0282 Email:
s.m.apatow@humanitarian.net Internet:
www.humanitarian.net
Syria
- Coordinating the Logistics of an Operational Medicine Response Plan
The size and scope of the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria [1] has
prompted the call for a NATO level Operational Medicine ResponsePlan
to address a crisis that is anticipated to be beyond ICRC and NGO
capabilities. Syria has refused to cooperate with the call for unimpeded
humanitarian access by the UN Security Council on 1 March 2012, [2,3]
while on 2 March 2012 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that the
Syrian authorities have committed widespread crimes against the
civilian population (BBC Video). [4]
In
conjunction with a Operational Medicine
ResponsePlan, Demining Operations
will also be critical, following reports that mines and booby-traps [5]
limit access to impacted cities by relief organizations. HRI has
called for (1) a Humanitarian Corridor [6,7,8] for cities
under siege, (2) withdrawal
of all Syrian troops in target cities for humanitarian aid and (3)
Special Protective Forces for Humanitarian Operations. [9]
Note:
The HRI: International Disaster Information Network[10]
was developed in
cooperation with the FEMA
Preparedness, Exercises & Training Directorate
in 1999 for Year 2000 Global Infrastructure Analysis and Contingency
Planning, building upon the foundation established by the U.S. State
Department (for a Global Disaster Information Network: GDIN)
in
the early 90's.
