SUMA, the Humanitarian Supply Management System,
Makes Novel Use of the Internet

El Salvador's National Emergency Committee (COEN) has activated the country's national SUMA team, whose members are among the more than 2,000 professionals trained in Latin America and the Caribbean. The team is setting up the SUMA system (www.disaster.info.desastres.net/SUMA) at anticipated points of entry of international aid to sort, inventory and classify incoming humanitarian relief. At the request of El Salvador's government, PAHO and FUNDESUMA, the NGO that manages SUMA's logistical operations, sent a support team from Costa Rica to help in what is expected to be a major operation.

The earthquake in El Salvador marks the first time SUMA has used the Internet to alert disaster-stricken countries about what is on the way. The Government of Colombia (whose national Red Cross Society helped to create the SUMA system and has been one of SUMA's strongest supporters in the Americas) has advised PAHO/WHO that they are using one of SUMA's specialized modules--the warehouse module--to register donations being collected by the Colombian Red Cross and Caracol, a local radio and TV station. Colombia will use the Internet to forward detailed information about their shipment to El Salvador's SUMA team, in advance of it's actual arrival.

Similarly, the National Emergency Commission in Honduras (COPECO) has activated its national SUMA team to register data on emergency supplies being collected at appointed locations, in coordination with the Red Cross and the Fire Department. As the supplies are en route to the neighboring country of El Salvador, Honduras' SUMA team also will have sent an advance report by Internet. This pattern of sending information on donations before the supplies actually arrive, using SUMA's standard software and criteria for classifying and assigning priorities to the supplies, will greatly aid the recipient country by allowing them to get the most important and urgently needed aid to those who need it quickly.

FUNDESUMA is also mobilizing additional volunteers from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia and Panama to support the team in El Salvador. The Governments of Honduras and Peru have also included SUMA trained experts in their bilateral assistance to El Salvador.