Disaster and Emergency Response

Counterpart International possesses institutional capability in different areas of emergency response including disaster preparedness, disaster monitoring and notification, disaster damage and needs assessment and disaster relief efforts.

In the area of disaster relief, Counterpart International has the capacity to:

• Offer knowledge of the communities and strong connections with government agencies and partners in the countries where we work;
• Conduct needs-assessments of disaster affected communities and emergency services providers;
• Coordinate the management of emergency donations in the United States;
• Conduct management and coordination for on-the-ground in-country disaster commodity supply, delivery logistics and distribution to final recipients;
• Provide surge capacity in the form of local offices and staff that can be tapped to support emergency response teams on the ground; and
• Manage and release pre-staged disaster packages in Armenia, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan containing disaster/emergency relief commodities.

Counterpart mostly responds to natural disasters and emergencies in countries where we maintain a permanent presence. In addition to providing needed humanitarian items, such as clothing, tents, blankets, food and medical supplies, Counterpart provides emergency and rescue equipment and training to emergency response personnel. Most of Counterpart’s past disaster and emergency preparedness and response projects were implemented in the countries of the former Soviet Union, but also include Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Haiti.