International search and rescue teams: DP in action?

An interesting post from A Humourless Lot discussing the costs in time and resources of flying in search and rescue teams from all over the world, versus ploughing that money and precious runway time into increased aid to those not trapped:

....why do we actually send out these SAR teams?

Part of it can be found in an intriguing comment in response to my blog post on the logistics of emergency response: commenter rob_s suggests to send local people involved in emergency preparedness in developing countries to disasters like Haiti earthquake, so they can learn from and experience firsthand the lessons learned.

This is exactly how many of the developed countries who have sent SAR teams think. It is not only altruism, or even a PR exercise, but also a valuable opportunity for these teams to train and learn, so they are better able to respond when something similar happens in their own countries.

Read more on A Humourless Lot: Logistics for Global Health and Aid.