OTTAWA — The leading edge of Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team is on its way to the Philippines to help the devastated island nation deal with the daunting aftermath of last week’s catastrophic typhoon.
A Canadian Forces C-17 from CFB Trenton is en route to the Southeast Asian archipelago, carrying between 35 and 50 members of the team and their gear, Foreign Minister John Baird told a news conference Monday.
The full complement of the rapid-response team, known as DART, comprises 200 Canadian Forces personnel and was last deployed following the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010.
“The first plane will leave within hours and it will bring personnel and equipment,” Baird said in the House of Commons foyer.
“Obviously, due to the scale and the scope (of the disaster), we will be working with our Filipino counterparts to determine what else is required, how many additional resources. Obviously we’ll do all we can.”
The DART has four specific areas of specialty: basic medical care, water purification, basic infrastructure repairs such as roads and electricity and streamlining communications systems for aid efforts.
Its deployment has become a signature element of Canada’s international relief efforts when catastrophic disaster strikes, such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the quake in Pakistan in 2005 and the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster of 2004.
The team will work with local authorities, other aid groups and the Philippines armed forces.