Last night, a dormitory was quickly set up in a sports hall in Gieten for 130 asylum seekers for whom there was no longer room in the registration center in Ter Apel. The Red Cross provided a helping hand.
“This is work that the Red Cross does all year round,” says Bastiaan van Blokland, spokesperson for the Red Cross, about setting up the emergency shelter in Gieten. “We also do this, for example, in the event of a fire or stranded passengers at a train station.”
The role of the Red Cross is often to guide people, offer a listening ear, provide coffee and a hot meal. And in the case of tonight, helping to set up a place to sleep for more than 100 people. This request for help usually comes from a municipality or the safety region. “And we often offer help,” says Van Blokland.
The Red Cross volunteers who respond to these types of situations come from the area where the emergency is taking place. The people who prepared the beds and hygiene packages yesterday live in the Northern Netherlands region.
“These people have registered with us to provide population care. They receive training for this and we also practice for these types of situations.”
