PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia provided the following updates regarding Operation Allies Refuge PHL:

Evacuees: On Sunday, August 29, 2021, the City reports that 378 evacuees came through PHL via three aircraft. From August 28-29, a total of 883 evacuees arrived through PHL. On Monday, August 30, 2021, several hundred more evacuees are anticipated to arrive on nine aircraft, however this remains fluid and is subject to change. The total daily evacuee arrivals can be found on Twitter @PhiladelphiaGov. Members of the public can follow important updates using #OperationAlliesRefugePHL.

MRC Call for Volunteers: Many of the evacuees coming to Philadelphia through this operation do not speak English. To communicate with them, the City is asking for help from volunteers who can interpret in Dari, Pashto, Urdu, or Farsi.

All volunteers who can provide interpretation services are required first to sign up as members of the Philadelphia Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The MRC is a group of more than 2,500 volunteers who serve the City during public health emergencies and large-scale events.

To sign up, visit the SERVPA website and select “Medical Reserve Corps Organizations” from the drop down menu and then select “Philadelphia MRC” from the secondary menu. The MRC is actively reviewing applications and will be in touch as soon as possible.

Donations: Please keep in mind that donated supplies cannot be accepted at the Philadelphia International Airport for security reasons.

The best way to support relief organizations is through monetary donations to vetted groups that are providing immediate and long-term aid. In Philadelphia, the City’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is working with Nationalities Services Center and HIAS Pennsylvania.

If you wish to donate material goods, the United States Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey has created a list of goods and materials to donate directly to incoming evacuees. HIAS Pennsylvania is also accepting in-kind donations.

Note on Terminology: As passengers on arriving flights may include U.S. citizens, U.S. military personnel, visa holders and applicants, lawful permanent residents, and people seeking asylum, the federal government advises using “evacuees” instead of “refugees” to describe arriving passengers.

B-Roll/Photos: Updated photos and video are available for media use. Credit: City of Philadelphia.