CAIRO, Feb. 2, 2011 — International SOS, the world’s leading international healthcare, medical and security assistance and concierge services company, said it has evacuated over 800 people from Egypt today, who are primarily expatriate employees and families of International SOS clients, and students. Via seven flights, the passengers will be escorted to Frankfurt, Paris and Dubai, where International SOS reception teams are waiting to meet them. According to on the ground sources, operating flights in and out of Egypt has been very difficult, with significant delays and last minute cancellations.
In the immediate wake of the uprising, International SOS activated a crisis management team at its London alarm center and began to coordinate operations with its Philadelphia, Frankfurt, Paris, Geneva, and Dubai alarm centers.
This crisis team, whose initial members left within a few hours of the unrest, is made up of medical, security, aviation and logistics experts. In addition another team consisting of security specialists representing a joint venture from International SOS and Control Risks is working from Cairo, Alexandria, Asyut and Suez. The security specialists are providing real-time reports to assist members seeking information on colleagues in Egypt and on the ground conditions there. Missions are being planned and executed at the time of this release.
“Some of our security specialists who were just in Tunisia are now in Egypt. They are able to deliver first-hand information and coordinate operations with our locally-based partners,” said Kevin Duffey, Managing Director of International SOS Assistance.
International SOS estimates that calls to its alarm centers had increased by 180% over the past weekend. Our global team has handled calls from hundreds of clients. At the time of this release, 40 clients from private corporations, non-profit organizations, and universities have had over 800 travelers evacuated from Egypt.
“We have been able to utilize our pre-established network in Egypt to provide transportation, security and medical care for our clients,” said Kevin. “During severe political upheaval and other situations that may impact travel, companies need to look after their employees who are abroad. Crisis plans as well as systems to track and communicate with their travelers are crucial in helping organizations fulfill their duty of care.”
Additionally, International SOS and Control Risks have activated TravelTracker, a proprietary system to help identify members in the affected areas, and have responded to calls at International SOS’ 28 alarm centers around the world.
About International SOS
International SOS (http://www.internationalsos.com) is the world’s leading international healthcare, medical and security assistance and concierge services company. Operating in over 70 countries, International SOS provides integrated medical, clinical, security, and customer care solutions to organizations with international operations. A global team of over 8,000 employees led by 970 full-time physicians and 200 security specialists provides services including planning, preventative programs, in-country expertise and emergency response to 69 percent of the
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