As a member of the International Rescue Corps (IRC), Julie Ryan, of Welburn, near Malton, is a specialist in urban search and rescue - aiding the rescue effort in the aftermath of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.
But a five-strong IRC team, including American and Canadian nationals, is still waiting for the word from the Chinese Government before flying out to the South-Western Sichuan province to help the search for survivors of Monday's earthquake, which news reports say has claimed the lives of at least 10,000 people.
Chinese State media said an estimated 10,000 people were also thought to be buried in one town alone near the epicentre of the earthquake in Wenchuan county.
Julie, who is a service development manager with the North Yorkshire Primary Care Trust, said: "We have currently got a team on stand by. I am not part of that five but it could change.
"We are just waiting to hear whether the Chinese will give visas to go or not. It could be a few days or a few hours - it's as blunt as that."
She added: "From our point of view, we are quite a small team but a quite effective team that could bring our specialist knowledge to help people."