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.