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Flooding in Libya: THW relief supplies arrive today

After Storm Daniel caused severe devastation in Libya, the Technische Hilfswerk (THW) worked with the Bundeswehr to send relief supplies to the affected region today. “Our urgently needed relief supplies will reach Libya this evening. Together with the German armed forces, at short notice the THW transported 30 tons of material to the disaster area by air,” explains THW President Sabine Lackner. At the air base in Wunstorf, Lower Saxony, Johann Saathoff, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, personally thanked the THW and Bundeswehr for their efforts as the flights prepared to take off.

In response to a formal request for assistance from Libya, two Bundeswehr Airbus A400M transport aircraft departed for Libya soon after midday on Thursday, carrying approx. 30 tons of THW relief supplies. The aircraft that took off from Wunstorf were loaded with 100 tents with lighting, 1,000 camp beds, 1,000 blankets, 1,000 sleeping mats, 1,000 water filters and 80 power generators. The destination of these flights is La Abraq airport in the eastern Libyan municipality of Al-Baida, where the relief supplies will be handed over directly. On board are two THW international logistics experts who will ensure a proper handover for the relief supplies at the destination.

Parliamentary State Secretary Johann Saathoff was also present at Wunstorf Air Base. He thanked the THW and Bundeswehr operatives for preparing the relief supplies so quickly. During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, THW operatives had brought the material from the THW logistics centres in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg to Wunstorf. This delivery filled eight trucks and has a value of about 500,000 euros. “Our relief supplies are expected to arrive in Libya around 6 p.m. and will then be immediately handed over to the local government agencies. A delivery as rapid as this is made possible by the good co-operation between the THW and the Bundeswehr,” says THW President Lackner.

The relief supplies are being delivered as requested and funded by the German Foreign Office and also by order of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. The transport of relief supplies is being coordinated via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.