For Christophe Fumanti it was the first mission in a crisis region. On 19 February 19 he was sent to Hatay, Turkey. Fumanti admits that he was nervous at first since he did not know what to expect, but he is pleased to report that the collaboration with the other specialists from Norway and Denmark went smoothly.
The Luxembourgish rescue workers are not responsible for treating residents who have lost relatives, friends, or their homes as a result of the earthquake. They are in charge of facilitating communication amongst the various rescue teams.
Meanwhile, the third team from the Grand Duchy has arrived in Hatay. When Paul Hilbert and Guy Wagener arrived, they found themselves in the middle of a storm, shortly after the region had been hit by aftershocks at the end of February. Some of their first tasks included securing the field hospital, erecting their own tents, and putting Luxembourg’s emergency satellite dishes back in place to restore communication, GPS tracking, and internet access in the region.
Luxembourg’s HIT teams, which are managed by the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), are dispatched at the request of a country in need of assistance following a disaster and under the coordination of the United Nations. In this case, the Turkish authorities specifically requested help with logistics and communication.
Once the containers that will house the rescue teams have been fully set up, the Luxembourgers’ mission will be completed for the time being. The team will return to Luxembourg on 24 March. There are no plans to deploy another HIT team to Turkey at this time.
Full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish):
