Supporting Lebanon evacuees
| 18 July 2006
Three British Red Cross delegates are in Cyprus to provide support for Britons evacuated from Lebanon following the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East.
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| Red Cross emergency response officer Stephen Spurling and volunteers Suzanna Rose and Janis Moore, both NHS employees specialising in psychological care, left London yesterday at 8.50am as part of a Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Rapid Deployment Team.
Speaking from Cyprus, Suzanna, from Henley-on-Thames, described their work: “We have been helping some very distressed and exhausted people who are arriving from Lebanon and we will continue to provide any on-going support when needed.” | | |  | |
| Stephen, from Wakefield in Yorkshire, said: “We are in Cyprus to support Britons who have been evacuated from Lebanon, ensuring they are provided with adequate health care and help them with practical matters such as finding suitable accommodation. As a result of the nature of the conflict many people are also experiencing trauma and we will be here to provide emotional care for anyone who is finding it difficult to cope.”
The delegates are in Cyprus at the request of the FCO, which is responsible for providing consular assistance to Britons overseas. The British Red Cross has trained volunteers on standby to offer practical help and emotional support to people affected by tragedies overseas. In this role it recently sent support to assist Britons affected by the boat capsize in Bahrain and the Dahab bombings in Egypt.
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 | | | This is the first deployment for both Stephen Spurling and Janis Moore. Suzanna Rose previously supported relatives of the Lockerbie air crash victims and Britons affected by the Sharm el-Sheikh bombings in Egypt last year. Additional Red Cross volunteers are on stand-by in the UK in case further assistance is needed. | |
| The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and National Societies of Lebanon, Israel and Syria are all working in the region to help the most vulnerable people.
The Lebanese Red Cross has mobilised 500 first aiders, its ambulance fleet, mobile clinics and nine blood banks to help the injured.
Missing relatives
Landlines and mobile phone networks are still functioning in Lebanon and Israel. British citizens who have still not heard from their missing family members in the affected area, can contact the FCO in London on 020 7008 1500.
British citizens in Lebanon can contact the British Embassy in Beirut directly on +961 1 990 400 (24 hours) or through their website at www.britishembassy.gov.uk/lebanon
Enquirers can also visit the FCO’s website at www.fco.gov.uk for all the latest information and developments. Foreign nationals in the UK should contact their respective Embassies/High Commissions in the UK for further information of their missing relatives
For foreign nationals in the UK, who may not wish to contact their Embassy directly, please contact the nearest local British Red Cross international tracing and message services office. For the nearest office visit www.redcross.org.uk/nearyou or email tracing@redcross.org.uk
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