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The Israelife Foundation is coordinating a Joint Disaster Response Team comprising of emergency medical personnel from United Hatzalah, Search & Rescue specialist from F.I.R.S.T. and recovery teams from Zaka.

The joint team, which left Israel on Sunday, 7 Iyar, includes a wide range of experts in their field with disaster response experience in Japan, Haiti and the Philippines. The multi-disciplinary teams will work together in squads with each member carrying out the tasks that they are uniquely qualified to perform and supporting the efforts of other team members as operational conditions require. A primary focus will be setting up local aid stations in outlying regions as well as extricating and evacuating victims to the stations.

Eli Pollack, Chairman of the Israelife Foundation stated “Israelife functions as an umbrella organization for all voluntary emergency response entities in Israel. It is our duty and privilege to harness the combined skills of F.I.R.S.T., Zaka and United (Ichud) Hatzalah for the benefit of Israelis in Nepal and for the people of Nepal during their time of need.”

Eli Beer, President of United Hatzalah said “United Hatzalah paramedics with experience in catastrophes of this magnitude will establish and staff medical aid stations to deal with the expected mass of crush injuries, fractures, lacerations and infectious complications of these injuries.”

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, Zaka Chairman said “Volunteers from our international division have experience in previous disasters like the earthquake in Haiti. We are in fact talking about a complex operation but our volunteers have experience in extrication under difficult field conditions. The collaboration with the search & rescue specialists from F.I.R.S.T., the medical personnel of Ichud Hatzalah and the body retrieval experts from Zaka is what makes this mission so unique.”

Gabi Barshishat from F.I.R.S.T. commented “Our task will be to reach the villages outside Kathmandu and the surrounding regions to assist the local population in reaching the aid stations and to provide whatever additional assistance is needed.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)