Durban – The IPSS Search and Rescue team which went to Libya to help with search, rescue and recovery efforts has returned to South Africa.
Last week the Ballito-based IPSS Search and Rescue team, in collaboration with Al-Imdaad Foundation, answered the call to help with search and rescue/recovery efforts under way in Derna, Libya, in the wake of the devastation caused by Storm Daniel.
Their mission was to stand side by side with local and international teams on the ground after the collapse of dams left the city in ruins.
The eight IPSS members are Dylan and Rodney Meyrick, Legan Soobrayloo, Ntokozo Magubane, Simphiwe Shobede, Keith Muller, Thereza van den Berg and Nicholas Compton James.
Due to severe travel restrictions in the area, the team travelled with their personal rescue gear and necessities.
On Tuesday, IPSS Medical Rescue managing director Dylan Meyrick said that the IPSS Search and Rescue team arrived safely back in South Africa.
He said the last eight days provided many challenges and difficult conditions, but the team has arrived back in good spirits. They are happy to be back home safely with loved ones.
“The situation in Derna, Libya, is almost impossible to comprehend,” Meyrick said.
He said that as stated by one of the members, “the city looks as if a bomb has gone off, demolishing buildings that lay in the passage of the raging waters as the dams collapsed”.
Meyrick said that thousands of people are dead and many more are missing, while those left struggle to pick up the pieces and understand the magnitude of the disaster.
He explained that the local community has proven resilient, making the best of the situation while Libyan officials work around the clock, with the assistance of teams from neighbouring countries, to repair infrastructure and clear debris. With the collapse of the dams, water is being trucked in 24/7 by Libyan officials.
“The focus of search and rescue teams has now turned to the Mediterranean off Derna, as the bodies of victims are recovered from the rubble and vehicles that have been washed out to sea,” Meyrick said.
“As our team returned home, representatives from Al-Imdaad remained in Libya to distribute aid to the desperate survivors.
“Our thoughts remain with the people of Derna, and our thanks to the Libyan military and Al-Imdaad for the support in Libya,” Meyrick added.
Last Tuesday, teams from IPSS Search and Rescue and Al-Imdaad arrived safely in Cairo, Egypt, and the teams were expected to make their way to Benghazi, Libya, the next day, then on to Derna.
Getting to Derna was expected to be a multi-leg trip by air and road.
Meyrick said the team was in good spirits, eager to get to work but were taking the opportunity to rest before they continued their journey to Derna.
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