PORTLAND, Ore. — The sirens wailed not long after the invasion of Ukraine began. Long before that, Portland-based humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps was monitoring and considering the "what-ifs."
“If the military conflict were to spread dramatically that would mean urban warfare, which is brutal. It would also mean the displacement of large numbers of people,” said Craig Redmond, the senior Vice President of programs for Mercy Corps.
KGW spoke with Redmond just hours before Russia began its unprovoked invasion on Thursday. He explained Mercy Corps helped Ukrainians in 2014 when there was major trouble with Russia.
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“And back in 2014 during that conflict, Mercy Corps did some cash assistance to internally displaced people. We did water, food, sanitation,” said Redmond, who spent five years living and working in the region during that time.
Right now, a small team is traveling to Poland, and if possible, into Ukraine to assess the evolving needs. Based on the reported fighting and damage, the needs will be great.
So far, Mercy Corps is not sure if it will mount a humanitarian effort in Ukraine. Redmond said if they do, they will be ready.
“We have a lot of people who understand how to navigate the situation. The other thing is that over 90% of the people who work for us are from the countries where we’re working, so that’s an important piece where they have that context, language, relationships {and] knowledge of what’s likely to happen,” said Redmond.
That allows the aid organization to move quickly to help around the world. And whether it's in response to natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, or the disaster of war, the focus is on the people who can't escape the suffering.
“My heart goes out to the people in those communities… Often-times the majority of the people who can’t go are the elderly or people who are disabled in one way or another. And that’s the heartbreaking piece of it, they don’t have jobs. They don’t have resources and they can’t go.”
Redmond added, if Mercy Corps sees a way to help and does so, things will move quickly.
“We can’t wait. We need to be thinking, 'Where will people go? What will their needs be?' We know they’re going to need cash. They’re going to need food assistance. They’re going to need water [and] shelter — those basic needs have to be addressed right away.”
Meanwhile, dozens of people gathered for a rally at the Portland Waterfront on Saturday, Feb. 26 to show their support for Ukrainians amid the Russian invasion.
"Ukrainians feel like they've been fighting alone since Wednesday," said one woman KGW spoke with. "This is partly for us to show them that they're not alone. They know they have our support. Ukrainians and Ukrainian-Americans all over the world support them. But having a lot of Americans come out — and I see people in many other countries coming out — that really helps them a lot."