Company in Toledo Finds Novel Way to Deliver Humanitarian Aid

During emergency situations, it often becomes difficult for humanitarian aid to reach affected people and communities, a situation that a company in Toledo, Ohio hopes to address. In the past, even with the immediate response of the international humanitarian aid community, needed supplies such as food, medicine, water and clothing could not be delivered to the disaster zones because points of entry were blocked, airports were congested or people have become isolated in remote areas.

Quick response

Toledo-based SkyLIFE Technology says they have created a safe and quick way to bring humanitarian aid right where it is needed by aircraft. Mike Kennedy, the Vice President for External Operations of SkyLIFE said that their CEO, Jeffrey Potter, saw how the delivery of much needed aid turned into a delivery crisis during the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, and thought that there could be a better way to deliver these emergency supplies to the specific areas where they are most needed.

Potter designed packs that are aerodynamic. Each pack could contain individual portions of relief supplies that could be distributed from the air and land on the ground safely. The method is like other supply drops from the air. The big difference is that the supplies would not be contained in heavy and large pallets that hit the ground hard and in some cases hurt people eager to get to it.

New design

SkyLIFE’s method is to have individual packs that would be placed inside large boxes attached to parachutes. Once deployed, the boxes will open to release the individual packs, which, due to the aerodynamic design would slowly flutter and scatter to cover large areas. With this method, the delivery of essentials could be done in a few hours or a few days. They have presented the idea to Juba in South Sudan, an area in the midst of a crisis and where basic supplies have to be distributed by air. South Sudan is enthusiastic about the novel idea and waiting for its completion. SkyLIFE, in cooperation with an international aid organization, have already conducted successful test air drops last May in South Sudan.

SkyLIFE’s actual air drops in South Sudan will commence in mid-January and the company hopes to extend this to other parts of the world where internal crises prevent aid from coming through.

The American way

Kennedy added that it makes sense for a global solution to come from the Midwest since it is the hub of innovation in the United States. He said that it is the place where most good ideas came from and the people in the Midwest have the know-how to build the system and produce the boxes. He added that this is something that Americans usually do, as America is a country that always tries to do the right thing, and with this new method of aid delivery, Kennedy said the they are just using a bit of American technology and know-how.

Image credit: Skylife technology