Deployment of Standardized Emergency Response Units in Large Scale Emergencies

Abstract

The number of natural disasters and armed conflicts 164n the world is constantly increasing. Sudden disasters and wars affect millions of people every year. On several occasions, many decades of development work perishes due to these crises. Different challenges, norms and standards, and the resulting demands are diverse by geographical area. In order to respond to the large scale emergencies as quickly and efficiently as possible, standardized, sector-specific, rapid-response units are needed, that can be deployed anywhere in the world within a short period of time. The author analyses the unique capacitiy and technical background of the modular emergency response units of the international system of Red Cross.