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Do airdrops of aid ensure survival of the fittest, not the neediest?

by Alisa Tang | @alisatang | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 26 November 2013 11:59 GMT

Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan rush to grab relief supplies as they are dropped by Philippine Air Forces helicopter at Barangay San Antonio, Basey Samar, on Nov. 25, 2013. Photo REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

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* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Some communities in the central Philippines, hit by Typhoon Haiyan, still lack food, water and functioning markets, so are airdrops of food and water the solution?

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - On Monday, more than two weeks after the monster typhoon tore through the central Philippines, a photographer colleague hopped into a helicopter with the Philippines military as they flew to remote areas, hovered a few metres above the ground and dropped water and USAID boxes to survivors waiting below.

The pictures show clearly that most of those who had rushed to the drop spot were young men and boys - able-bodied, strong.

Super Typhoon Haiyan pushed ashore a tsunami-like storm surge that uprooted trees, washed away entire villages, cut off roads and communications, and claimed more than 5,200 lives.

The latest report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that food, water and shelter are still “urgently required”, and that attention must be paid to “persons with special needs, including those with disabilities, elderly, single-headed households, and single women”.

“Affected communities have access to small food stocks but are increasingly concerned about the lack of food in the long term, with limited or no access to markets,” it says, adding that debris clearance remains a priority and more heavy equipment is needed to hasten the work.

Many reader comments on various news websites propose airdrops as the obvious way to get assistance to still hard-to-reach communities.

Yet humanitarian organisations say airdrops are expensive and inefficient and are a last resort, because once the life-saving aid hits the ground, it is pounced upon by the strongest and fittest and may not reach those most in need.

I asked some organisations with staff on the ground in the Philippines their opinion of airdrops. Here are their answers:

Ewan Watson, spokesman for the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC)

“As a general rule, the ICRC does not air-drop aid.

“Firstly, we need to be on the ground to understand the basic needs of the population, so that we know exactly what aid to bring them. Then, we want to make sure our aid goes to those most in need, and that means targeting distributions at the neediest beneficiaries.

“For example, how would we ensure through airdrops that those who have difficulty moving due to age or disability (or for a socio-cultural reason) actually receive aid? There would certainly need to be a strong community mechanism in place to ensure air-dropped aid is redistributed to the most vulnerable.

“We work in close coordination with the local authorities and the beneficiary communities, but we prefer and always endeavour to distribute directly to individual beneficiary households, often with the help of the Philippine Red Cross in the case of the Haiyan response.

“This avoids the possibility of needy families being excluded and ensures that beneficiaries receive what they're entitled to.”

Samir Wanmali, emergency coordinator for the U.N. World Food Programme’s (WFP) Typhoon Haiyan response

“WFP has clear guidelines for the organisation of airdrops: they should be planned in advance with a drop zone cleared and secured, staff prepared to collect and log dropped goods, and then to subsequently organise a distribution to beneficiaries who have been previously identified according to vulnerabilities and needs.

“WFP does use airdrops in operations where there is no other way to reach people in need – for example, in South Sudan in order to bring food supplies to an isolated refugee camp to which access roads were completely washed out by seasonal rains.

“However, due to the considerable cost and organisational requirements, it is not the first choice delivery mechanism.

“In the response to Typhoon Yolanda, WFP has not used airdrops, since alternative transport modalities by sea and road are available to get food to distribution points.”

Oxfam responds in a Typhoon Haiyan Q&A posted online:

“Oxfam’s experience is that aid airdrops … can very occasionally help but typically are hugely expensive and very limited in what they can deliver. Air-dropping aid does not guarantee food and other relief supplies reach the people most in need. In many cases it’s the strongest and fittest who get to the aid first and not the sick or injured who most need help and assistance.

“In a natural disaster such as this one, it’s not only food that’s needed but also sophisticated equipment such as clean water and sanitation systems weighing tons as well as highly skilled staff to operate them - none of which can be dropped from the sky. If there isn’t an aid operation on the ground to distribute the aid, airdrops can exacerbate any tense relations within communities, with only the fittest and fastest benefiting.”

Reuters pictures show USAID boxes being dropped by military helicopter, so I asked USAID to respond to this issue, too.

Rebecca Gustafson, press officer for the USAID Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda response management team

“For various reasons, humanitarian airdrops of relief supplies or food aid are considered a last resort option. The U.S. Government is working in support of the government of the Philippines response effort, and I would encourage you to (speak with) them to learn more about their efforts.”

The Philippines government could not immediately be reached for comment.

 

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