China donates equipment for disaster prevention and preparedness to Uruguay

According to a 2015 Annual Report on the National Government Management, in early November 2015 a donation from China was approved for the National Emergency System of Uruguay with a total value of 1 million USD.

On 29 May 2017, the Presidency of Uruguay signed Resolution No. 1789 accepting a donation offered by the People's Republic of China for the National Emergency System of Uruguay. A handover ceremony for this donation was held on 24 November 2017.

The donation included 23 types of equipment that enable to make immediate reactions to fires, severe colds, floods, personnel search and rescue, etc.

On January 2018, the equipment began to be distributed to the 19 departments and 112 municipalities, where it was delivered in Paysandú, in May in Durazno and Treinta y Tres, in June in Artigas, in July in Canelones, in August in San José and Río Negro and in October in Coloni. A full inventory of the equipment is included in the attached Resolution No. 1789 document.

According to 2017 Uruguay Government sources, the total value of the donation was 1 million USD. This donation is in the framework of an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement that was signed on 26 August 2010.

The donation includes the following materials, split up by category of emergency: 1) articles for the strengthening of capacities for the prevention and combat of forest fires, consisting of: 30 chippers, 38 chainsaws, 38 protection kits for chainsaw users, 38 safety helmets, 38 safety gloves, 38 safety boots and a closed box truck 2) two containers and 74 thermal containers for severe cold and floods 3) elements for search and rescue in collapsed structures: a radar for locating victims, two saws for concrete, nine hammer drills and two compact loader 4) to strengthen the communication capabilities of the Departmental Emergency Coordinating Center (CECOED), the donation consists of: 38 computers, 19 portable handheld radars, 19 multifunction printers, 19 cell phones, 19 multimedia projectors and 19 tablets 5) 112 computers, 112 multifunction printers and 112 cell phones to strengthen the communication capabilities of the 112 emergency municipalities 6) a mobile home, equipped for territorial deployment