Response to emergencies
One of the important directions of work performed by the Ukrainian Red Cross Society is to assist emergency-affected people.
In case of emergencies, the Society coordinates activities with the public authorities, including the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.
The Society is a part of the national system of emergency response. The President of the Society is a member of the State Commission on Technogenic and Ecological Safety and Emergencies.
During preparation and provision of assistance to the affected people, organizations of our Society conduct supporting rescue, medical and social events. Emergency reserves of essential items and food were formed in all subordinate organizations in order to provide emergency assistance to the affected people. Staff and volunteers of the Society across the country actively work with the local subsidiaries of the State Emergencies Service of Ukraine and participate in almost all humanitarian operations of local and national scale.
To ensure a rapid and effective emergency response, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society delivers aid based on comprehensive need-assessment, revealing the gap to be filled in communities. Such an assessment is inevitable for not only guaranteeing an adequate assistance to people affected by conflict or crisis, but also designing a coordinated and effective planning guiding the work of national societies.
The UCRS supports the Emergency Response Fund, maintains emergency stocks and develops and implements activity programs on livelihood support. The Society is part of the nationwide emergency response system and its President is a member of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations. The Society coordinates its work with state authorities, local self-government bodies, and other organizations involved in delivering emergency assistance.
The Society has established specially equipped Emergency Response Teams consisting of Red Cross staff and volunteers. The Society develops specialized capacities of individual teams regarding team member qualifications, geographical location, and local social and economic situation. If the affected population requires shelter, the Society has a mobile field camp, which can be deployed to shelter up to 250 people
With the help from the Danish Red Cross Society in 2018, the URCS was able to replenish warehouses with emergency supplies such as sheets and bed linen, and to purchase equipment for Emergency Response Teams. The Society received first aid kits from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which were distributed to 21 regional branches. Also 2,000 blankets were delivered to the URCS’s warehouse.
In the beginning of 2018, the URCS had 20 emergency response teams working under two units – by the end of 2018, the number of teams had increased up to 27 teams working in 27 cities of Ukraine.
- In 2018, 423 active Red Cross volunteers joined emergency response teams
- Over the course of the year, emergency response teams have participated in 1,157 events throughout the country helping 4,113 people. In total, emergency response teams worked for 7,714 hours, providing food to 2,130 people from the ERT field kitchen.
In 2018 Emergency Response Teams worked at mass events, but provided assistance also in emergency situations:
- house collapse in Boyarka, Kyiv region;
- flooding in the city of Chernyhiv;
- explosion at military warehouses in Ichnya, Chernyhiv region.