Funeral repatriation when a major crisis hits
When a natural disaster causes mass casualties, funeral repatriation specialists face a range of challenges. Robin Gauldie investigates
Natural cataclysms have shaped our planet and its civilisations since before the dawn of history. Around 1750BC, the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea was devastated by volcanic eruption. In AD79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, engulfing the Roman city of Pompeii. In 1883, the explosive eruption of Krakatoa, between Java and Sumatra, caused tsunamis that killed at least 36,000 people.
The Boxing Day 2004 tsunami was not an isolated incident. It is, though, unique (so far) because it struck resorts in countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka during the peak tourism season. Around 2,000 of the estimated 230,000 who died were holidaymakers from European nations.
More than 35,000 people died in Sri Lanka and 8,000 in Thailand, but the highest death tolls were in regions that few foreigners visit. Around 160,000 people died in Sumatra, a huge island that sees relatively few foreign visitors. Around 11,000 people were killed when the tsunami reached the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Like Sumatra, neither of these are mass tourism destinations. A further 4,000 or more deaths occurred on India’s remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, completely off the tourism map.
At least 14 significant tsunami events have been recorded since 2004, from the Kuril Islands in the North Pacific to the Caribbean, the Pacific Coast and Islands, Indonesia and Japan.
Most lethal was the mega-wave that struck Honshu, in Japan, in 2011. That event received a great deal of global attention, because as well as killing 19,000 people, it damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station – triggering a major nuclear incident.
There have been many significant mass fatality events which have required careful support and intervention by funeral repatriation companies around the world
In September 2018 a quake centred on Palu, on the Indonesia island of Sulawesi, left 4,340 dead. No foreign visitors were reported to have died, but, had the Palu tsunami been strong enough to reach the busy beach resorts of Bali – a trivial 1,000km south of Palu – the death toll would have been higher, and would have included large numbers of foreign visitors, resulting in much greater worldwide media attention.
Similarly, the earthquake in February 2023, which caused around 55,000 deaths in Turkey, caused few foreign casualties. Had it affected Ankara, hub of the Turkish Riviera, then tourist deaths might have numbered in the thousands.
One thing is for sure: it is only a matter of time before such a disaster strikes. Nightmare scenarios include the collapse of one of the Canary Islands volcanoes, triggering a wave vast enough to devastate the US Atlantic seaboard. Such an event is the stuff of sci-fi blockbuster movies – and, according to the official US Geological Survey (USGS), that’s all it is. “There is abundant evidence to refute the mega-tsunami hypothesis,” the USGS states. So that’s all right then.
There are real causes for concern, though. Since 2004, UNESCO has recorded an average of seven tsunami reports a year, and Bernardo Aliaga, Head of UNESCO’s tsunami unit, has described the tsunamis of 2004 and 2011 as a wake-up call for coastal communities worldwide, including mass-tourism Mediterranean resorts. “There is no question about it: it is not if, it’s when,” he said.
How ready is the funeral repatriation sector?
Hurricanes and other severe weather events are comparatively predictable. Tsunamis and earthquakes are less so, though global detection and early-warning systems have become more widespread and effective since 2004. But is the funeral repatriation sector better prepared for such events than it was 20 years ago?
“Disaster can strike at any moment,” acknowledged Samuel Tester, Operations Director at Homeland International, a UK-based repatriation specialist. “It is highly unlikely that one can predict events, so it is essential to have options and plans in place for if and when we may be called into action.
It is important that governments include repatriation companies in the conversation throughout to ensure expert intelligence is shared
“We have not recently experienced large-scale events like the 2004 tsunami, but there have been many significant mass fatality events which have required careful support and intervention by funeral repatriation companies around the world,” he said.
“Immediately following such events, we are often contacted for repatriation cases, and these are opportunities where we can quickly enact crisis response plans into reality,” Tester noted. “We understand in such events that things change very quickly, hence we put plans, processes, and costs together for clients on this basis. When governments are already involved, repatriation companies may not activate their own plans. However, it is good practice for our team to establish plans to ensure we are always ready.”
Fiona Greenwood, Operations Director of repatriation specialist Rowland Brothers International, agreed that it was essential for companies to have contingency plans in place for events causing numerous casualties. Rowland, she said, has for many years had a master emergency repatriation response plan that is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it can be activated at extremely short notice with the most up-to-date, reliable resources.
“Each incident is reviewed against the plan on an individual basis to ensure all areas required are covered and nothing is missed,” she said.
Cutting through red tape
A mass-casualty disaster can also stress local bureaucracies, potentially making it harder for them to issue necessary documents, such as death certificates, in a timely manner.
“It depends on the location and scale of the situation,” explained Tester. “Some countries will provide additional resources to ensure mass registration and the fast issuing of documents. Other countries do not put such measures in place, meaning their authorities will quickly become overwhelmed.”
Under pressure, authorities may relax procedures and requirements for issuing relevant documents, Tester said. If this is done piecemeal, though, problems may arise.
“You do not want flexibility being offered as part of the process when another part is overwhelmed – for example with death certificates being issued quickly or more simply but the health documents required from a hospital being difficult to obtain due to overcapacity,” he cautioned.
“It is important that governments include repatriation companies in the conversation throughout to ensure expert intelligence is shared and to ensure the most streamlined process can then be followed.”
Greenwood agreed. “The timeline will be longer than that of a standard repatriation due to the number of deceased, complexities, identification and preparation of the deceased processes,” she said. “When there is a major disaster involving vast numbers of loss of life there must be an exceptionally good plan in place on the ground, both for survivors and those who have passed away. It is crucial that all teams work together. That is not as simple as it sounds.
“Rules and regulations of the host country need to be adhered to, respected, and followed,” she continued. “Special permissions may need to be sought for teams to be dispatched and allowed entry to assist with the incident.”
Formal identification of the deceased can also present challenges, Greenwood noted. Depending on the condition of the deceased, formal identification could be straightforward if they were carrying photo identification documents, she pointed out. If no ID is found, DNA testing may be needed.
“This is crucial to ensure the deceased is identified correctly before being repatriated, and would involve collaborating with local authorities on an international level,” she said. “Activation of approved overseas funeral directors in the country of the incident [to] assist our team with the complexities surrounding the permissions required for repatriation is a must.
“Direct contact between embassies, their nationals caught up in the disaster, and local authorities is vital to ensuring all documentation is correct and all appropriate permissions are obtained locally,” Greenwood finished.
Logistical challenges
Mass casualty events also pose logistical challenges such as sourcing sufficient transportation coffins and quickly providing locally sourced or portable refrigerated storage facilities.
“Coordination of transportation depends on the incident itself, and circumstances on the ground,” said Greenwood. “Transfer arrangements may need to take place by road, boat, or other means to the nearest location where commercial flight arrangements can be made for transporting the deceased. Not all deceaseds will be ready for repatriation at the same time due to the identification process taking place.”
She added: “Large numbers of deceaseds may be repatriated by aircraft laid on by their home government, others by individual commercial aircraft.”
Communication and information-sharing are also key to managing transportation issues, Tester added.
“A large-scale event can mean that aircraft are prioritised by particular governments to support their citizens,” he explained. “If there are many people from the same country involved, that country’s government may provide a military aircraft to repatriate their nationals. What is more common to see is a combination of different options, such as some commercial flights and some organised privately by governments.”
He pointed out that this helps to relieve capacity pressure on commercial airlines.
“The situation changes regularly in such environments so communication between all parties, including the repatriation companies, is critical to ensuring a smooth process,” he said.
Pooling resources
“Many companies, including ours, have built strong relationships with competitor businesses within the sector and will always help support others at a time of need,” said Tester. “Being part of numerous trade associations allows us to network with other companies all over the world. If we pick up the phone to ask somebody else for help, they will help. In times of crisis, companies will forget competition to help in supporting the bereaved.
“In such circumstances, where vast numbers are involved, international funeral directors as well as local funeral directors on the ground pull together, work together, coordinate and assist each other as best as we can to return a loved one back to their home country and family. We all work together to achieve the result.”
Religious considerations
An event that results in mass casualties can also make it challenging for funeral repatriation companies to comply meticulously with religious considerations. In this sensitive sphere, preparation is all, and data management technology has become an important tool.
“With the help of technology in these situations, we can ensure that these considerations are documented,” said Tester. “We have a bespoke case management system in which high levels of detail about the individuals is logged and can be accessed by all to reference at times of crisis. We can then create reports within the system based on the stored data.”
He continued: “Without information technology such as this, crisis management can become overwhelming and can lead to mistakes and holes in information.
“Some religious considerations [are straightforward] – such as providing ritual washing, providing a priest, or providing specific clothing or items that the deceased person needs to be dressed in. Other aspects can be more challenging, such as the requirement of an autopsy or the requirement for embalming.”
The time-consuming process of official identification of multiple deceased can also make it extremely difficult for repatriation companies to comply immediately with varying religious formalities.
One interim solution is to gather faith ministers covering as many religious beliefs as possible to attend the location and provide faith blessings en masse to all the deceased before formal identification takes place, Greenwood suggested.
“Communication is vital to explain to family members why complying with faith timelines is not possible and suggest alternatives such as imposing their faith formalities from the time their loved one is brought home,” she said. “These are difficult conversations, but most families will understand under the circumstances.”
In such circumstances, where vast numbers are involved, international funeral directors as well as local funeral directors on the ground pull together
When another natural disaster strikes, funeral repatriation providers will likely be tested to their limits. It appears, however, that they are prepared to face the challenge.