May 28, 2015 - Ottawa, Ontario - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism, today announced that the Canadian Armed Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), along with civilian political and humanitarian personnel from Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), has begun a phased transition out of Nepal after being deployed there in response to the devastating earthquake that struck the country on April 25, 2015.
On April 26, the Government of Canada deployed the Interdepartmental Strategic Support Team, followed by members of the DART, to gain first-hand awareness of the scale of immediate needs and to identify opportunities to provide assistance. Canada’s DART took swift action to provide significant support to the earthquake relief efforts being led by the Government of Nepal and contributed to several humanitarian activities of international partners. The DART has:
- treated more than 700 Nepalese patients;
- distributed 75 water filtration units and enabled access to clean, safe drinking water for approximately 3,400 people;
- provided 750 maps and visuals to the Nepalese and foreign militaries and to non-governmental and UN agencies;
- removed more than 3,000 cubic metres of rubble (approximately 720 dump-trucks-full) and cleared roads, allowing access to approximately 204,000 Nepalese isolated by the disaster;
- assisted with more than 300 public safety announcements; and
- distributed more than 355 crank radios, allowing remote communities to connect with relief efforts.
Recent on-the-ground assessments by the Government of Canada, including members of the DART, along with the Government of Nepal and the United Nations, indicate that there is no longer a critical need for foreign military assets.
The DART has succeeded in assisting the Government of Nepal in bridging the gap between rescue and recovery efforts in its area of operation through rapid deployment and efficient use of relief capabilities that matched the needs of Nepal.
Canada was one of the first countries to pledge its assistance to the disaster response in Nepal and is one of the last countries to withdraw its military assistance to the response. The DART will fully cease its operations in Nepal by May 29, 2015, and will transition its activities at Camp Sumitra to experienced non-governmental organizations on the ground.
Johanna Quinney
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
343-203-1851
johanna.quinney@international.gc.ca
Lauren Armstrong
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of National Defence
613-996-3100
lauren.armstrong2@forces.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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