IFRC Deploys Relief Aid From Port Klang Hub To Flood-Hit Nepal

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is mobilising additional emergency humanitarian supplies from its Asia Pacific Regional Warehouse in Port Klang to bolster relief efforts in flood-hit Nepal. 

The aid will reinforce Nepal Red Cross Society's response to severe floods and landslides that struck the country on Aug 26, killing 1,385 people, while 5,130 others, including foreign nationals, remain missing.

The IFRC in a statement to Bernama said the supplies, packed on Sept 10 and 11, comprised 3,840 tarpaulins, 800 shelter tool kits, 520 blankets and a water purification system, which are scheduled to be despatched on Sunday.

The aid will help affected families gain access to emergency shelter, essential household items and safe water.

IFRC said urgently needed items had initially been procured locally and distributed across Nepal.

Additional supplies are now being deployed from its regional warehouse in Port Klang and other logistics hubs across its global supply chain network, including Dubai.

"Combining local procurement with pre-positioned international stocks allows us to respond quickly while ensuring assistance can continue as needs change over time," IFRC Regional Logistics Senior Officer Calvin Jong said.

He said the Port Klang warehouse played a vital role in IFRC's humanitarian logistics network, enabling critical relief supplies to be mobilised rapidly and efficiently in support of National Societies responding to emergencies.

"By leveraging local markets alongside regional and global logistics capacities, the IFRC helps ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need quickly, efficiently and at scale," Jong added.

Established in 2006 following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the IFRC Asia Pacific Regional Warehouse in Port Klang was created to strengthen rapid disaster response through strategically pre-positioned humanitarian stocks.

The hub now serves 38 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and has supported more than 550 emergency operations across the region over the past two decades, making it one of IFRC's most important humanitarian logistics hubs.

-- BERNAMA