K1 DIRECT team member sorting through canned goods.
PHILIPSBURG–K1 DIRECT, K1 Britannia Foundation’s disaster relief and crisis team, has rounded-off its relief efforts in the Bahamas. A team of thirteen volunteer members from St. Maarten and Curaçao were deployed earlier this month to assist with relief.
K1 DIRECT St. Maarten and Curaçao have been diligently training in various fields of disaster management and collaborated with various organisations and initiatives on the ground to provide aid and assistance, K1 Direct said in a press release. The team’s relief efforts took place within three main areas: data collection, shelter assessment and distribution management.
In Nassau, the team worked with HeadKnowles – a local disaster relief foundation, and other private entities to assist with the registration of evacuees from Abaco and Freeport into Nassau; and also assisted in providing information for accommodation, additional supplies and medical support.
K1 DIRECT co-manager Iris Hakkens attended various Emergency Operations Center (EOC) partner meetings in the Bahamas and led the process of assessing of properties that could be potential short- and long-term shelters, due to emergency shelters quickly filling to capacity.
“Upon arriving in Nassau, through a meeting with key persons of various humanitarian aid organisations, we found a few persons who assisted with providing supplies needed for different shelters – such as cots, food, etcetera, but no one was really addressing the need for additional shelters.
“Each shelter in Nassau was over capacity and it was imperative that someone needed to work with the international humanitarian aid standards to assess properties to provide additional accommodation for the influx of evacuees,” said Hakkens.
K1 worked with United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development UKAID, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Rotary International, the American Red Cross, Bahamas Resolve, and the Bahamian private sector to investigate suitable properties.
“I associate K1 DIRECT with positive energy, coming with fully open arms and asking, ‘where can we help?’ Together we identified many tasks that had to be done, and in no time K1 DIRECT was proactive, solving challenges, knocking on doors and overall a good partner to have,” said IOM team leader in the Bahamas Jan Willem Wegdam, sharing his experience with K1 DIRECT.
In Freeport, Grand Bahama, the group worked with Bahamian Senator Katherine Forbes-Smith, various Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to help manage the distribution of government supplies to the most affected neighbourhoods in Grand Bahama, as well as in warehouse set-up and management.
K1 DIRECT also worked alongside volunteers from Public Treasury, Urban Renewal Grand Bahama, Team Rubicon, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and the United States (US) Coast Guard, among others.
“The warehouse management process was slightly unsystematic, and we were able to remedy that by providing a bit of structure. That process was well-received by the persons involved which allowed us to be more effective. The distribution of goods became more streamlined and targeted which allowed for more effective registering of goods,” said K1 DIRECT co-manager Alan Schet.
K1 DIRECT also attended various EOC meetings in Freeport, Grand Bahama, to find ways in which K1 DIRECT could play a role in relief efforts. The team also provided trauma counselling and took the time to comfort and encourage those whose lives had been affected by tragedy, said K1 DIRECT.
“We were all truly touched by the humility and open arms by the Bahamians as they welcomed us. Many persons commented that as a relief team coming from St. Maarten, it showed support from the region and also because we had been through [Hurricane – Ed.] Irma, they were open to letting us provide support knowing that we could empathise with their struggle,” said K1 DIRECT co-manager Priya Thirumur.
“It was almost like K1 was the first on the ground and I really appreciate that the team just jumped right in. No task was too great or too little, and so I’m so excited that K1 was a part of our recovery. I’ll always remember K1 DIRECT and we really appreciate the take-charge attitude to get the job done,” said Forbes-Smith.
The foundation extends its gratitude to various persons in the Bahamas, as well as in St. Maarten and Curaçao, who supported the team through accommodation, transportation, supplies, networks and donations that helped make this mission possible, said K1 DIRECT on Sunday.
For more information on how to support K1 DIRECT, persons can call 1-721-543-3332, or send an e-mail: direct@k1britanniafoundation.org.
Persons can also visit K1 Britannia Foundation’s office located at Falcon Drive #7, Suite A3, Brooks Tower, Philipsburg, or visit its website: www.k1britanniafoundation.org, or Facebook page: www.facebook.com/k1sxm.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/91107-k1-direct-end-relief-efforts-in-the-bahamas
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