As a member of a disaster response team, Airborne Rescue & Relief Operations With Search (ARROWS), A-PAD has started emergency assistance activities. On January 27, ARROWS dispatched a staff member to Shanghai, China, and is conducting a needs assessment. Shanghai is located close to Wuhan and confirmed to have infected patients. The ARROWS staff will be providing relief items including medical masks through a local partner as needed.

Additionally, A-PAD has begun a needs assessment in Taiwan where as of January 26, four cases of the virus have been reported. In Taiwan, A-PAD’s local partner, Tekkantai (“鉄漢隊”) ASIA, is working with eight medical institutions to contain the spread of the virus including setting up rescue tents at hospital entrances and screening patients. Some of the rescue tents were donated by A-PAD to Tekkantai during the 2018 Hualien earthquake in Taiwan. A-PAD and Peace Winds Japan dispatched a rescue team, provided search-and-rescue operations, and provided medical assistance during the earthquake.

Under the guidance of two ARROWS doctors based in Japan, assistance activities will be carried out with strict hygiene management to avoid infection. The team is also closely monitoring information from relevant sources.

Global efforts are needed to stop the epidemic of pneumonia caused by the virus and to save as many lives as possible. Thank you for your generous support.

http://apadm.org/donate/

◆ARROWS (Airborne Rescue & Relief Operations With Search):

As natural disasters occur more frequently in recent years, ARROWS was established in December 2019 to reach large-scale, disaster-affected areas quickly and provide life-saving operations to save more lives. ARROWS will send medical professionals and a search and rescue team, including rescue dogs, via helicopters and aircraft to affected areas. The members include Peace Winds Japan, A-PAD Japan, and Civic Force. ARROWS is also supported by an advisory board consisting of prominent leaders from the business, political and medical sectors. In the field, ARROWS is designed to collaborate with local municipalities, hospitals, and NPOs to provide timely and optimal assistance including medical and rescue operations, distribution of relief items, and evacuation center management. ARROWS not only provides relief assistance during emergencies, the group will also implement disaster risk reduction activities such as teaching life-saving skills to students, businesses, and other organizations. https://arrows.red/

◆ Inquiries：

TEL：0952-20-2900 (A-PAD Japan Office) Email: pr@arrows.org

Asia-Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD)