SYRIA / FOOD AIR ASSISTANCE

The World Food Programme (WFP) delivered food by air this weekend for hungry people trapped in the besieged eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor. A total of 20 metric tons of urgently needed food supplies - mainly beans, chickpeas and rice, and enough to feed 2,500 people for one month - were dropped from high altitude. WFP

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:50
• Production Date: 11 April 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME - WFP
• Subject Topical: FOOD DISTRIBUTION
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 1599708
• Parent Id: 1599708
• Alternate Title: unifeed160411a

Description

STORY: SYRIA / FOOD AIR ASSISTANCE
TRT: 01:50
SOURCE: WFP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 9 – 10 APRIL 2016, DEIR EZZOR, SYRIA AND AMMAN, JORDAN

Shotlist

10 APRIL 2016, SYRIA AIR SPACE

1. Med shot, high altitude parachute food pallets drop

10 APRIL 2016, DAMASCUS, SYRIA

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthew Hollingworth, Deputy Regional Director, World Food Programme (WFP):
"People there [Deir Ezzor] have been besieged for more than two years now, by the so-called Islamic State and this is a major step forward. Saying that, it is just the very first airdrop and we managed to get food to a little bit more than two thousand people today. But we are going to be coming back over the next days and week and even months to continue this airdrop lifeline operation."
3. Med shot, Hollingworth and and Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) staff looking at map

9 APRIL 2016, AMMAN, JORDAN

4. Various shots, preparation of parachutes and pallets with food assistance
5. Various shots, loading pallets on the plane

10 APRIL 2016, SYRIA AIR SPACE

6. Med shot, food pallets being dropped from the back of the plane at high altitude

10 APRIL 2016, AMMAN CIVIL AIRPORT, JORDAN

7. Wide shot, plane taxiing

Storyline

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) delivered food by air this weekend (9-10 Apr) for hungry people trapped in the besieged eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor.

A total of 20 metric tons of urgently needed food supplies - mainly beans, chickpeas and rice, and enough to feed 2,500 people for one month - were dropped from high altitude by a WFP-chartered aircraft on Deir Ezzor.

Out of 26 pallets loaded with food contained in platforms attached to high altitude parachutes - 22 pallets were collected by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), WFP's partner in the city. WFP is working to find out what happened to the four other pallets.

Over 200,000 people have been living under siege in Deir Ezzor since March 2014 in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Critical food shortages have been reported. The airdrop was the first time WFP food assistance has reached besieged parts of the city since March 2014.

WFP is working closely with partners on the ground organizing food distributions, which should take place immediately after every drop. More airdrops are planned for the coming days to meet food and other humanitarian needs for the besieged population.

The aircraft flew from Amman, Jordan airport in Jordan. Airdrops are always a last resort, as land access is easier and the most cost-effective way of delivering food.

On 24 February, WFP carried out its first high-altitude airdrop ever, dropping 21 tons of food assistance on Deir Ezzor. But technical problems meant some of the pallets missed the drop zone and some were damaged as their parachutes failed to function properly.

Across Syria, WFP provides food to more than 4 million people every month and remains very concerned about the suffering of all Syrians living in hard-to-reach and besieged areas.