Grozny (ICRC)
– The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working in cooperation with the Chechen Branch of the Russian Red Cross Society (RRC), delivered emergency supplies last week to over 2,700
families in three villages in the Kurchaloy region and one village in Gudermes region.
The villages had been severely affected by an earthquake on 11 October.
The supplies
included tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, kitchen sets, candles and jerrycans.
"We hope that these items will help local authorities to meet the basic needs of the victims of this
earthquake, which unfortunately struck a region that has suffered a great deal in recent years," said Laurent Bernet, the head of the ICRC in the Chechen Republic.
The earthquake hit
southern regions of the Chechen Republic, killing 13 people and leaving over 100 wounded.
A week later, many people in rural areas still cannot enter their homes because of the damage
sustained and are staying in makeshift accommodation.
The ICRC, in close cooperation with the RRC and in agreement with the Chechen authorities, conducted a large-scale assessment of the
needs in Nozhay-Yurt, Gudermes, Kurchaloy and Vedeno districts immediately after the earthquake.
On 13 and 14 October, the ICRC, in coordination with the Chechen Ministry of Health, also
provided three surgical kits to Central Regional hospitals in Gudermes and Shali and to Hospital N9 in Grozny.
The kits can treat about 75 patients each.
The ICRC is currently
conducting additional assessments, focusing on water needs and on assistance to hospitals damaged by the quake.
The ICRC’s budget for the Russian Federation totals 19 million US
dollars.
Of this, 12 million dollars are for the northern Caucasus.
The organization has a staff of 20 expatriates and 260 national employees in the Russian Federation.
For further information, please contact:
Leila Satueva, ICRC Grozny, tel: +7 8712 22 31 28 or +7 928 019 27 21
Yuriy Shafarenko, ICRC Moscow, tel: +7 495 626 54 62 or +7 903 545 35
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Simon Schorno, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 251 9302
Lawyers and NGO workers hold a candle-lit vigil, in remembrance of earthquake victims, in Multan October 8, 2008. Three years ago more than 73,000 people were killed and about 3 million ...
