TWO members of the search and rescue team RAPID-UK attended a reception at Buckingham Palace where they met The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. John Holland and Graham Payne, directors of the rescue team, attended the reception which marked the work of those in Disaster Response following the recent earthquake in Pakistan. RAPID-UK, Rescue and Preparedness in Disasters, deployed two search and rescue teams to the magnitude 7.6 earthquake which hit Pakistan in October 2005. Teams worked with the Pakistani Government, British and the local search and rescuers to locate any survivors. The rescue workers were deployed in the capital Islamabad to search a 12 storey apartment block, with 38 apartments collapsed and more than 60 people missing. They managed to rescue seven people from the building; the first two survivors were rescued within three hours of the teams arrival on site. RAPID-UK is a publicly funded charity supported by 100% donations from the public, as all its members are volunteers. The charity operates both abroad and in the UK helping casualties after major disasters. It is also involved in the training and development of disaster management teams in areas of the world vulnerable to large scale natural disasters. Using specialist training, skills and expertise, the volunteer teams have to date attended earthquakes, floods and hurricanes in more than 24 countries around the world.
