Evacuation in emergency management - A Government overthrow is rarely peaceful and consensual. Protests, unrest and even violent confrontations are not uncommon reactions.
An experienced example was the overthrow of the Nepalese government or the deposition of the king, which completely cut off the country from the outside world. There was a complete shutdown of the local communication network, cross-border road traffic and international air traffic.
This temporary total isolation of the Himalayan state led to popular unrest and posed the very real danger of rioting crowds, which became threatening because of the collapse of state order.
As the situation continued to deteriorate, German tour operators decided at short notice to bring the 200 or so stranded German tourists safely back to Germany by the quickest route. Without contacts, functioning logistics and communication, the people were left on their own at this point.
Hello, is anybody there?
The crisis management focused its measures on establishing a safe and reliable communication link to and between the tourists and the 'outside world' as quickly as possible. The preparations for the organisation of an evacuation flight to Germany began.
At the crisis team's headquarters in Delhi, India, the first step was to begin an inventory of the affected people to ensure that everyone was accounted for. Thereafter, the people were safely accommodated at a central assembly point in Kathmandu. This measure also served to minimize the risk of danger from the rioting crowds. In parallel, the communication link to Germany and India was re-established and the lohistics planning was advanced.
The crisis management team that was deployed took on the role of central coordinator and liaison between Nepal and Germany. Thanks to the international links and many years of expertise, a detailed plan was drawn up to resolve the emergency on the ground.
Measures Operational: Logistics & Evacuation
- Accommodation of stranded passengers in a central hotel
- Provision of security personnel
- Secured transport to the airport
- Coordination of evacuation flights
Measures Organizational: Crisis team
- Compilation of a crisis team with branches in Nepal (airline and embassy), Germany and India
- Clear definition of tasks for each member of the crisis team
- Recording and documentation of all work processes
Measures Communication
- Establishment of a communication link via the German Embassy in Kathmandu
- Networking with tour operators as a link to travellers
- Continuous dissemination of information on the state of affairs to stranded travellers
Lessons learned: We learn with every exceptional situation
After a project has been completed, a results analysis is always carried out as a matter of principle. With the findings - regardless of whether they are positive or negative - we can prepare for upcoming events and optimize future decisions. We transfer solution competencies to a wide variety of industries and apply them there. In this way, we also make our experience available for future projects.
