Cuba Sending 59-strong Medical Brigade To Turkey And Syria

https://www.newarab.com/news/turkey-syria-earthquake-cuba-send-medics

As always, Cuba responds immediately to disasters around the world with its "army of white coats".

The Henry Reeve Brigade is on the way and that's just for starters.

32 doctors to Turkey and another 27 to Syria.

So far the UK has managed to send a total of 0 doctors to help. That's none to Turkey and none to Syria.

However according to the UK government page they have sent someone to nip down to Millets and they're hoping to send some "tents and blankets" very soon. So well done them!

 

It's great to see the world coming together in times of crisis.

I didn't see this coming: https://www.reuters.com/world/turkey-armenia-gate-opens-first-time-decades-allow-aid-2023-02-11/

 

Cuba's efforts to be aplauded of course but the UK are not sitting on their arses

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...specialist-equipment-to-earthquake-hit-turkey
We've sent/sending a field hospital and a hercules full of stuff,

Also a 77 strong team of specialist search and rescue
https://www.nationalfirechiefs.org....ional-search-and-rescue-team-ukisar-in-turkey

As well asmany millions of £ in aid IIRC from BBC news this morning.

 

Are they taking Fidel with them? Not being funny mate, but everyone has sent lots of people officially, and many more through NGOs like Medecins Sans Frontieres, The Red Cross, The Red Crescent. This was France a few days ago:

Two Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) detachments from the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France were dispatched on Monday to assist the Turkish authorities with search and rescue operations and provide assistance to affected populations. They included:

• 71 fire and rescue personnel and 4 sniffer dogs from the Investigation and Response Unit of Nogent-le-Rotrou Emergency Services Station No. 1; and
• 65 first responders and 6 sniffer dogs from the Ile-de-France Security and Defense Administration (Yvelines Departmental Fire and Rescue Services, Seine-et-Marne Department).

This emergency operation is being coordinated by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Crisis and Support Center, in conjunction with our embassy in Ankara.


Germany:
Immediately after the earthquake, the Federal Government had promised Germany’s full support with relief efforts. The earthquakes which affected the region along the Turkish and Syrian border were the most serious in over 20 years.

Germany’s emergency aid includes SSEBA international rapid recovery teams, which the THW dispatched on Tuesday on behalf of the Federal Government. The 50-strong team and 16 tonnes of equipment and supplies will help Turkish emergency services to locate and recover trapped persons quickly and effectively.

The Federal Police Force is also in the region, providing emergency paramedics, doctors and a dog team. A 40-strong search and rescue team from the I.S.A.R. Germany International Search and Rescue organisation, which is based in Duisburg, has travelled to Germany to provide support in the Hatay region.


All I'm saying, is don't use a tragedy to promote your particular ideology.

 

I'm not sure whether those personnel and supplies are what the affected countries are asking for, but the small handful of people recovered alive from under the rubble would seem to be vastly outnumbered by the sniffer dogs sent - never mind the search and rescue teams.

Turkey is a large and populous country and I have my doubts whether they're really lacking blankets, pillows and tents.

I would suppose there are a vast number of people however who have been injured by the earthquake and who need urgent medical attention. Cuba has sent doctors who are surely going to be in huge demand.

And yes, I am proud that a small Caribbean island, blockaded by the United States for the past 60 years and located on the other side of the world has managed to respond in this way - as it has to other disasters all around the globe.

 

Sí señor. Así mismito es.

 

"The United States appears to be destined by providence to plague the Americas with misery in the name of liberty."

Simon Bolivar (1829)

 

I hope it's not antisemitic to note that Israel has kindly sent along some bombs to help.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/19/israeli-raids-kill-five-in-syrias-damascus-report

Unfortunately, as ever seems to be the case, there was no space in the news to report on this airstrike on a residential area (of a country already reeling from the earthquake disaster).

Nor to show film of the destruction or interview the traumatised victims as with Ukraine. Thousands of victims and 15 dead. No Hugos or Jeffreys from the BBC in flak jackets and blue helmets reporting live.

So just to reiterate, that's Cuba sending doctors to the ordinary Syrian people and Israel that is dropping bombs.

And some people want to tell me I'm on the wrong side.

 

I’ve heard he makes really good marching powder.