The EADRCC’s main function is to coordinate the response of NATO and partner countries to natural or man-made disasters within the Euro-Atlantic area. The Centre has guided consequence management efforts in more than fourty-five emergencies, including fighting floods and forest fires and dealing with the aftermath of earthquakes.
Operations have included support to the US in response to Hurricane Katrina and - following requests from the Government of Pakistan - assistance in coping with the aftermath of the devastating October 2005 earthquake and the massive July 2010 floods. Since 11 September 2001, the EADRCC has also been tasked with dealing with the consequences of CBRN incidents, including terrorist attacks. Most recently, the countries of the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and the Istambul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) were given direct access to the Centre.
The Centre also functions as an information-sharing tool for NATO and partner countries on disaster assistance. It organises seminars to discuss lessons learned from NATO-coordinated disaster response operations and exercises. In addition, it holds an annual large-scale field exercise with a realistic scenario for effective interaction. Recent exercises have included scenarios such as a terrorist attack using chemical agents.
All these tasks are performed in close cooperation with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), which retains the primary role in the coordination of international disaster relief operations. The EADRCC is designed as a regional coordination mechanism, supporting and complementing the United Nations in its efforts. Furthermore, the EADRCC’s primary function is coordination rather than direction. In the case of a disaster requiring international assistance, it is up to individual NATO and partner nations to decide whether to provide assistance, based on information received from the EADRCC.
