shelterbox

'ShelterBox – thank you!'

The Prince of Thailand has thanked ShelterBox for its involvement in the floods with its fast response and distribution of emergency aid, improving the lives of thousands of displaced people. 

‘The Prince summoned me and the local Rotary District Governor to meet with him at an evacuation centre, as he wanted to understand more of what ShelterBox was doing in Thailand,’ ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) member Scott Robinson (US) explained. ‘He was very impressed with our fast distribution of tents and was grateful for the work that ShelterBox has been doing to help the country.’ 

SRT members have been working hard over the past two months providing emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies to families affected by the worst flooding the Asian country has experienced in over 50 years. 

Scott and Abner Tayco (PH), another SRT member, have been concentrating their efforts in Nonthaburi, the most densely populated and second largest province after Bangkok - its neighbouring city. Since mid-October it has been cut off from civilisation due to floodwaters not receding. 

High waters 

Families have been living along roadsides and on bridges either in the back of trucks or in makeshift shelters. Some have draped tarpaulin over tractors and farm equipment to escape the high waters. 

The ShelterBox Response Team has been distributing ShelterBoxes throughout the region and putting up tents at dry, accessible locations helping hundreds of families. 

‘I have not been able to work for two months and my children cannot walk to school as the canal has overflowed over the path they take,’ one displaced mother told Scott. ‘We rely on selling fruit and vegetables but the trees in our mango grove are dying due to the floods. For now we have shelter and when the waters recede we will be able to use the toolkit to rebuild our home and our lives. Thank you ShelterBox!’ 

The SRT members have also been working with the Thai Red Cross to set up tents at evacuation centres at schools across Nonthaburi. Families had been living in the classrooms but they soon found refuge in ShelterBox tents. The tents not only provided them with shelter, warmth, dignity and comfort but also freed up the classrooms so that children could return to school. 

ShelterBox has distributed over 1000 tents and 2500 mosquito nets in Thailand with the help of the Thai Red Cross, Rotarians and the local government and continues to assess for further need.  

Medical villages set up using ShelterBox tents

Drought and on-going conflict in Somalia have forced over one million people to leave their homes. Around 400,000 people have been living in internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps in the coastal town of Mogadishu. 

ShelterBox has been working in partnership with Women And Health Alliance (WAHA) International to set up tents at IDP camps near medical centres to house patients and their families, particularly hospitalised women who cannot leave their children. These ‘medical villages’ offer shelter, comfort and dignity to those most vulnerable. 

Eric Otieno is WAHA International’s Medical Co-ordinator and he has been helping put up the tents at the camps. 

‘There has been heavy rain in Mogadishu over the past few days therefore the displaced people have greatly benefited from the ShelterBox tents,’ said Eric. ‘So far 60 tents have been set up at Forlanini Hospital camp and 35 tents have been set up at Badbadoo Camp. 

‘Approximately 6,000 families reside at Badbadoo IDP camp. Many have heart-wrenching stories of how the war uprooted them from their farms. Almost every family has lost a relative, or has a relative injured by the effects of war.’ 

Rebuilding lives

With the recent rainfall, 50 ShelterBoxes have been set aside to assist agricultural families who need to return to their homes to tend to their farms. A ShelterBox will provide each family with items to help them start rebuilding their lives, including a tent, tools, cooking equipment, waterproof ground mats and a children’s activity pack. 

Further shelter has been provided with over 300 ShelterBox tents set up at Rajo camp, one of the areas worst affected by the downpours. 

‘Old shelters constructed of tarpaulin and sticks have been replaced with ShelterBox tents,’ explained Eric. ‘The joy on the faces of the beneficiaries was quite telling. The tents came just in time!’

See the latest slideshow from Somalia here

 

ShelterBox's response to floods in Colombia receives praise

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) has arrived in Colombia to assess the need for emergency aid following flooding and landslides caused by one of the worst rainy seasons the South American country has suffered in decades. 

SRT members Mark Dyer (US) and Per Dahlstrom (CA) will be meeting with Colombia’s National System for the Prevention and Attention of Disasters (SINPAD) over the next few days to identify the areas of greatest need for shelter and lifesaving supplies. 

The torrential rains have disrupted the lives of over 325,000 people, destroyed swathes of farmland and hundreds of homes. 

Alf Evans, the ShelterBox Operations Manager, said that ShelterBox responded immediately to the disaster. 

‘Within twenty four hours of the alert, contact was made with the SRT members, they were briefed on Colombia’s situation and they arrived in Bogota at the early hours of this morning to assess need,’ Alf explained. ‘We act fast and we strive to reach families in the shortest time possible.’ 

ShelterBox’s efforts in its quick response to the current floods as well as previous disasters have received praise from the Colombian President and First Lady. 

ShelterBox’s Head of Operations John Leach and Head of International Fundraising and Communications Becky Maynard were invited to meet with Colombia's First Lady María Clemencia Rodríguez along with her husband President Juan Manuel Santos in London on 21 November. 

‘It was a huge honour to meet with them and discuss the current disaster,’ says Becky, also an SRT member. ‘ShelterBox can work proactively in its response to the recent floods having this support from the highest level. This makes deployments run smoothly and allows aid to be delivered to the most vulnerable in the quickest time frame.’ 

Prepositioned stock in Bogota will allow for instant response to the disaster if needed.  

ShelterBox tent gives warmth and dignity in Turkey

Two powerful earthquakes and continuous damaging aftershocks have destroyed buildings and homes in southeast Turkey over the past month, leaving thousands of families displaced.

ShelterBox Response Team member Tony Williams (UK) found a mother and her child sleeping rough in the cold streets of Van, the city that has suffered the most damage. 

‘I came across Mrs. Karman with her baby boy sleeping under bits of cardboard amongst the rubble-filled streets here,’ he said. ‘We moved them immediately to one of the camps ShelterBox has set up in the city with the Turkish Red Crescent Society (IFRC).’ 

Away from the harsh weather conditions, Mrs. Karman and her son are now living in a ShelterBox tent with emergency supplies to hand including warm blankets, a cooking stove and utensils, a water filter and a children’s activity pack. 

Camps have also been set up for families in affected villages surrounding Van. 

‘The tent is really warm and now we all feel safe,’ said Ennus, a nine-year-old recipient. ‘Thank you ShelterBox.’ 

Immediate response

ShelterBox immediately responded to the first earthquake on 23 October by deploying a ShelterBox Response Team to Van to assess need there. Since then, 870 ShelterBoxes have been distributed and over 10,000 sets of hats, gloves and scarves have been sent for children and adults. 

SRT member Ian Neal (UK) is in Van and has also been helping others not directly affected by the earthquakes. Being a qualified firefighter, Ian was the first to respond to a car crash that occurred outside the hotel where the ShelterBox Response Team is staying on 19 November. He instantly began working on stabilising the driver who allegedly suffered a serious head injury until the ambulance arrived to take over.  

 

 

Scout camp near Bangkok is major relief camp

A Scout camp at Ratchuburi, a town around 50 kilometres south west of central Bangkok, has become a major relief area for the flooded capital with some 26 camps set up for Thai and migrant families. 

On 12 November, ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members Toby Claridge (UK), Ed Owen (UK) and Scott Robinson (US) delivered 30 tents and a school box to the camp. The Scouts helped set up the tents following a demonstration and the first family moved in within minutes. 

‘Mr Jaturong Meeborsum, his wife and three children left their home in Nong Khaem, a district on the outskirts of south eastern Bangkok, when the water level became over waist deep,’ explained Toby. ‘They arrived with more or less what they stood in.’ 

Even though the rain has stopped and central Bangkok is recovering, there is a stark contrast in the low lying suburbs that surround the capital that are taking the brunt of the flood waters as they head seawards, with new areas being evacuated daily. 

Flooding continues 

Whilst areas to the north of the capital begin the long clean-up and those families can look forward to returning to their homes, those living close to the south still wait in trepidation as the water table rises. 

‘The Meeborsum family’s best estimate was that it would be over a month before the waters will have receded enough for them to return home,’ said Toby. ‘But then their homes will still need cleaning and disinfecting from the inevitable disease that the fetid flood waters will leave behind.’ 

SRT members in Thailand have been concentrating their efforts over the last six weeks to ensure that shelter and dignity is available to those who are displaced by the worst flooding Thailand has experienced in 50 years. 

By working closely with Rotarians, local government, Thai Red Cross and International Organization for Migration (IOM), ShelterBox has provided shelter and other assistance such as mosquito nets and water filters to multiple areas in and around Bangkok, helping over 2000 people.

Turkey displaced terrified of further aftershocks

The second earthquake that struck southeast Turkey on 9 November has left many of the tens of thousands of displaced people terrified to enter their homes again, fearing they might collapse.

ShelterBox Resonpse Team (SRT) member Ian Neal is in Van, the city that experienced the most damage, and says people are facing a huge psychological need as they are frightened of returning to buildings following the 5.6 magnitude aftershock. 

‘After the first earthquake on the 23 October people were assured that it would be safe to return to their homes,’ he said. ‘But then the second quake struck and now people are scared and suffering from severe psychological issues.’ 

SRT members are working hard to provide shelter as quickly as possible as the homeless people’s plight has been worsened by freezing conditions after the first heavy snowfall of winter, with more cold weather expected over the next three months. 

Extreme conditions

However, ShelterBox tents are designed to withstand extreme conditions with a purposely-designed thermal layer added between the inner and outer sheets for extra insulation. ShelterBox has also provided stoves, groundsheets, blankets, warm clothing and solar lights for further warmth and comfort. 

Mark Pearson, an SRT member in Turkey, said: ‘They slept in the tents last night and they loved it because they are so warm. The third layer is the key.’ 

‘As for the team, we are doing well,’ says Ian. ‘We’ve had a good day today. We have made some excellent groundwork on the distribution front. We now have some great community level distribution happening in the area.’ 

Boxes are currently being distributed in the centre of Van where the need is at its most and more have been distributed to surrounding villages.

ShelterBox ready to help following further earthquake in Turkey

Turkey is reeling after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck again in Van last night. The area was still in recovery after a previous earthquake caused extensive damage just over two weeks ago. 

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) has been working in the region since the last earthquake and was standing ready to help as soon as the second earthquake hit. 

Response team member, Ron Noseworthy (CA), explained that the team had been busy that day distributing ShelterBoxes to families who had lost their homes and possessions in the October 23 earthquake. The team had experienced a number of aftershocks since being in the country but this was the largest yet. 

‘We were in Van when we felt violent shaking and saw people running out of buildings,’ reported Ron. ‘Many buildings collapsed, including a six-storey hotel. We received a request for help from emergency responders to provide ShelterBox tents for the search and rescue teams to allow them to rest as they work in shifts to try and save those trapped in collapsed buildings.’ 

The team is concerned for the safety of people living in or close to buildings that have already been weakened by the massive earthquake last month. 

‘We will offer any assistance that we can provide,’ said Ron. ‘We have emergency shelter and equipment immediately available for anyone in need’. 

ShelterBox has sent over a thousand ShelterBoxes to Turkey. Each box contains emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for people who have lost everything due to the earthquake. 

ShelterBox Response Team member Ian Neal recalls the moment the earthquake struck in Van last night. Listen to Ian's recollection and see how the team have worked alongside search and rescue teams in Van online here  or see the latest photos here

 

ShelterBox ready to help following further earthquake in Turkey

Turkey is reeling after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck again in Van last night. The area was still in recovery after a previous earthquake caused extensive damage just over two weeks ago.

 

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) has been working in the region since the last earthquake and was standing ready to help as soon as the second earthquake hit.

 

Response team member, Ron Noseworthy (CA), explained that the team had been busy that day distributing ShelterBoxes to families who had lost their homes and possessions in the October 23 earthquake.  The team had experienced a number of aftershocks since being in the country but this was the largest yet.

 

‘We were in Van when we felt violent shaking and saw people running out of buildings,’ reported Ron. ‘Many buildings collapsed, including a six-storey hotel. We received a request for help from emergency responders to provide ShelterBox tents for the search and rescue teams to allow them to rest as they work in shifts to try and save those trapped in collapsed buildings.’

 

The team is concerned for the safety of people living in or close to buildings that have already been weakened by the massive earthquake last month.

 

‘We will offer any assistance that we can provide,’ said Ron. ‘We have emergency shelter and equipment immediately available for anyone in need’.

 

ShelterBox has sent over a thousand ShelterBoxes to Turkey. Each box contains emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for people who have lost everything due to the earthquake.

 

Thai mother and baby find refuge in ShelterBox tent

During what have been described as the worst floods to hit Thailand in 50 years, ShelterBox Response Teams are distributing  emergency shelter and equipment to families in need.

Nine-month pregnant Ladda Bangkaew was in her home in Rangsit, Thailand, when the flood waters came in around her. She was evacuated by boat and went into labour on the way to the military evacuation centre. Her daughter was born on board the boat and the first days of her life were spent living in a hallway of the evacuation facility. 

When the ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) arrived, baby Nam (meaning ‘water’ in Thai) was only five days old. Although Ladda and her family had a roof over their heads, the nurse was concerned about the lack of privacy and comfortable surroundings for the new mother and baby. The team was able to offer Ladda a ShelterBox tent to give her the privacy she deserved in an otherwise crowded facility.

SRT member, Jennifer Kormendy (CA), said: ‘It was great to be able to help Ladda and her family in this way. She immediately moved her few belongings into the tent and her smile was contagious as she settled in with her baby. The box itself even made a safe, comfortable crib for baby Nam.’

Thousands affected

It is over three weeks since floodwaters first arrived in Thailand’s capital city but vast areas remain submerged in water and residents are resigned to spending weeks in temporary shelter before they can return home. Ladda is one of around 300 people being housed temporarily at the Nor-Tor-Por Armed Forces Command Centre near Bangkok. Being the only dry ground in the area, more people are arriving every day but the facility has reached its capacity. ShelterBox tents are helping house the additional families who have been forced to leave their homes. 

ShelterBox has already distributed over 700 tents and 1700 mosquito nets to help shelter and protect families affected by the extensive flooding in Thailand and teams are continuing to identify need and distribute much needed shelter and supplies.

 

ShelterBox forms partnership with the French Red Cross

Disaster relief charity ShelterBox has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the French Red Cross.

Both organisations are involved in the provision of disaster relief to thousands of families across the world every year. The agreement sets out how the two organisations can work together to ensure that emergency shelter and life saving supplies reach people in need as quickly and efficiently as possible after a disaster strikes. 

ShelterBox has worked closely with the French Red Cross in the field for over two years, for example providing aid to families in need following flooding in Niger in September 2009 and the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010. ShelterBox affiliate, ShelterBox France, has been instrumental in continuing to develop this relationship between disasters and now both organisations have committed to work together to help even more people. 

Professor Jean-François Mattei, President of the French Red Cross, said: ‘I am delighted to be signing this Memorandum of Understanding with ShelterBox and I am looking forward to building our working relationship worldwide.’ 

Tom Henderson, Founder and CEO of ShelterBox, added: ‘The signing of this three-year partnership agreement will enable us to operate even more effectively and efficiently in over 33 countries. Together we can make a real difference to hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been threatened by disasters.’

ShelterBox continues to distribute aid in flood-stricken Thailand

ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members in Thailand are working hard to deliver emergency shelter as thousands of people continue to be affected by the widespread floods. 

According to the Government of Thailand homes and farmland have been swamped in 26 provinces and the heavy flooding has cut off hundreds of roads. So far over 250 ShelterBox tents and 1000 mosquito nets have been distributed to families in need. 

The tents make a real difference to people who have lost their homes. SRT member, Jennifer Kormendy (CA), described the situation for one young mother and her family: 'While at the evacuation centre, we met a woman with a five-day old baby. The baby was born on the boat as she was evacuated from her flooded home. She is overjoyed to be receiving a ShelterBox to house her young family and to have privacy as she settles in with her new baby.' 

The team has been working alongside the Royal Thai Army to put up 100 tents in a stadium in Kokatiem. ‘The tents are already in full use by families who have been forced to abandon their homes,’ explained SRT member Stephen Crabtree (UK). ‘The army expects the site to be in use for around two months, so it is essential that it is well set up with secure, weather-proof shelter and good water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.’ 

In addition to the provision of emergency shelter, ShelterBox water purifiers and water carriers have been distributed to temples, churches and mosques where they are accessible to those who need them. ShelterBox tool kits have been provided to local electricians for making essential repairs after the flood damage. 

The team has also delivered a number of ShelterBox Classrooms in a Box to schools that have been badly affected by the floods. The Government of Thailand has announced that the start of the second school semester will have to be postponed in 13 flood-torn provinces due to water damage and access problems. The ShelterBox kits, each of which provides school equipment for 200 children and essential equipment for teachers, will help the schools get up and running again as quickly as possible.