Responding to disasters & crises in the Middle East & North Africa

Responding to disasters & crises in the Middle East & North Africa

Our Emergency Response Team and local offices in Dubai, Europe and Canada have been busy during the last few months responding to various natural disaster & conflict/crisis events in Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Priority Worldwide offices dispatched 6 charter flights carrying 100Tons+ of vital humanitarian aid assistance to airports in Libya and Sudan and also arranged numerous air freight shipments to airports in Egypt, Morocco and Libya.

2023 has been a busy year with Natural disasters in the region, with the tragic earthquake in Morocco and the almost biblical scenes of flooding in coastal Libya in September 2023 . These twin events came on the heels of the widescale disaster caused by earthquakes in Turqiye and Syria earlier this year.

The earthquake near to Marrakesh claimed close to 3000 lives and caused tens of thousands to lose their homes and livelihoods..  Our ER Team has been assisting our shelter sector partners in transporting large shipments of family tents from Dubai to Casablanca by air.

The two dams which burst above the city of Dernah post Storm Daniel on September 11^th caused widescale devastation and destruction to homes in the coastal cities down river. At least 4000 persons were known to have died.  Access to Libya is already constrained due to years of civil war and a lack of significant air cargo capacity to Benghazi meant that charter flights were a critical tool in delivering direct aid to the area. We operated 2 charter flights from Dubai carrying nearly 30T of shelter items as well as a further charter flight from Europe carrying field hospital equipment for our Canadian partner. We also continue to send air freight shipments from Europe and US into Mitiga.

The complex crisis in Sudan which began in April 2023 when rebel factions attached the government in Khartoum has created complex access conditions for NGOs and governments looking to assist population caught up in the war. Our company has helped to arrange full 3 charter flights from the UAE to Port Sudan, transporting medical and other cold-chain cargo to ongoing health programs in Khartoum and the affected areas.

The recent atrocities in Israel and the military response in Gaza has created extensive medical, shelter and food humanitarian needs in the Gaza strip, beyond the existing needs already in place. The world is only just beginning to recognize the extent of humanitarian response needed. Priority’s team in Europe has already sent an air freight shipment to Cairo, at time of writing, comprising of hygiene kits.

Priority Worldwide Emergency Response Team: ER@priorityworldwide.com