13 / 32
13
Carrefour Foundation – 2014 annual report –
“Providing
high quality
emergency aid
in the first few
hours requires
considerable
human,
financial
andmaterial
resources.”
“The Italian province of Massa
Carrara and nearby areas of Tuscany
are regularly hit by flooding and
earthquakes. In November 2014,
Piedmont and Liguria were inundated
following violent storms and torrential
rain, with over 8,000 people from
Massa Carrara province having to be
evacuated. Many houses remained
uninhabitable for several months. The
Red Cross worked with fire fighters for
two weeks to evacuate the population,
transport the injured, set up temporary
facilities (shelters, mobile logistics
centres, healthcare and social welfare
systems) so that the victims could be
cared for properly. These emergency
interventions require specific and
expensive equipment in order to
respect regulations regarding hygiene
and the cold chain, while providing first
aid and emergency supplies…
Our volunteers are the driving force
behind our interventions, and they
also need special training to give them
the key skills they require.”
RESPONDING
TOPUBLIC
HEALTH ISSUES
Access tomedical care
and a proper diet has become
a public health issue. There
are still significant inequalities,
including in developed
countries, and even though
the general state of health
of the population is steadily
improving (with increased
life expectancy, falling infant
mortality rates, etc.).
On the other hand, health
emergencies need the
mobilisation of exceptional
resources. Today, for our
actions to succeed, we need
to strengthen the capacities
and resources of main actors
in the sphere of social
emergency issues in the
short, medium and long term.
Logistics and psychological
support, donations of
equipment, health education
– all these actions share
a common goal: sustainable
improvement in the health
and general well-being of
communities that have
been hit or disrupted
by a disaster.
REDCROSS
Given the scale
of the damage, the
Carrefour Foundation,
in collaboration with
teams fromCarrefour
Italy, released
emergency aid of over
€70,000. These funds
were used for the
distribution of
essential supplies
to the victims
(e.g. pasta, sugar,
flour, oil, baby food
and cleaning kits) and
enabled houses to be
cleaned and repaired,
so that families could
return to their homes.
“The first few
hours are critical.
The responsiveness
of our partners is
essential.”
Interview with
Domenico d’Alessandri
Co-ordinator for
Red Cross Carrara
ITALY