PH Red Cross team joins Nepal relief

Nepalese villagers stand in a queue to receive food being distributed in Sakhu, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, April 29, 2015. AP

MANILA, Philippines–A 13-member emergency response unit from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) left the country Wednesday afternoon to help in the relief efforts in quake-devastated Nepal.

Team leader Leonardo Ibajo said they would bring in light rescue equipment considering the country’s terrain, as well as its narrow streets.

“Accessibility is difficult. What we’ll bring [to Nepal] are manually powered hydraulic equipment that are not reliant on fuel,” Ibajo said.

The team left at 3 p.m. Wednesday via Malaysia Airlines.

A five-man medical team composed of Florianne Adlawan, Jasper Caleb Aguilo, Dan Espenzer Velasco, Dr. Ranvier Martinez and Dr. Cleofe Babao-Medina will leave Manila at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday for Nepal via Kuala Lumpur.

In a teleconference Tuesday night, PRC chair Richard Gordon said the team will be stationed at the Red Cross’ emergency field hospital, which will support Nepal’s hospitals which are already “overwhelmed with trauma cases.”

Gordon said that a 10-man water and sanitation team is also set to leave within the week to help in the monitoring, treatment and distribution of water in Nepal, which has been in short supply four days since the tragedy. Jovic Yee