Heart to Heart and FedEx Create Disaster Readiness and Response System to Deliver Humanitarian Aid Around the World

Heart to Heart International Inc. announced today that four Forward Response Centers have been established with FedEx to pre-stage relief supplies that can be quickly transported to regions affected by natural disasters. The Forward Response Centers have been set-up in a Heart to Heart facility in Kansas (Kansas City) and in FedEx Express distribution facilities located in Mexico (Toluca), the Philippines (Subic Bay) and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai).

The Forward Response Center system is designed to enhance the capabilities of Heart to Heart and FedEx to serve as early responders in times of need. The system helps ensure that relief supplies are available for deployment the day the response teams are notified of an emergency.

“The FedEx global network provides an ideal system for staging ‘precision aid’ in strategic locations around the world so that we are well-positioned to respond effectively and efficiently,” said Jeff DeGraffenreid, vice president for Global Crisis Response at Heart to Heart International. He added: “Disaster response is a challenging task, but it is made easier with partners like FedEx. They accelerate our ability to respond to human needs on a global basis and keep us on the cutting edge of humanitarian work around the world.”

Each Forward Response Center will be stocked with 60-80 pallets containing basic relief supplies that address the immediate needs of disaster victims: shelter, medical care and clean drinking water. They will include medicine, water purification systems, tents, tarps and other emergency supplies that will automatically be replaced once deployed.

FedEx will organize the collection, sorting, inventory, storage, clearance and transport of relief supplies to sites affected by earthquakes, hurricanes or other natural disasters.

All four Forward Response Centers recently mobilized test shipments and successfully completed the readiness exercise.

“No one wants disasters to strike, but it is a reality we must face from time to time,” said Jack Muhs, vice president of International Planning, Engineering and Global Trade Services at FedEx Express. “With a formal Forward Response Center strategy in place, Heart to Heart and FedEx have found a way to proactively leverage our core competencies and take preparedness to a new level.”

Heart to Heart and FedEx share a long-time commitment to preparedness and have worked together for more than a decade to deliver humanitarian aid around the world. Since 1995, FedEx has helped Heart to Heart move disaster relief supplies to China, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Iraq, Jamaica, Honduras, Sri Lanka, as well as Indonesia and Thailand as part of the relief effort to aid survivors of the South Asia tsunami. On the domestic front, Heart to Heart and FedEx recently worked in close cooperation to transport relief supplies to various sites during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.