shelterbox

ShelterBox continues to distribute aid in Philippines

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) continues to distribute urgently needed aid in the Philippines as fresh flooding stretches relief operations on the island of Mindanao. More than1200 lives have been reported lost and many thousands of people have lost their homes following the devastation wreaked by tropical storm Washi. 

Response Team volunteer Abner Tayco said: ‘The evacuation site conditions are so unbearable, like the one in Macasandig Basketball Court where there are 2521 families. You cannot move to the other side without stepping on someone’s sleeping mat, it is so dense. Children are the ones most affected.’ 

Abner and his fellow Response Team volunteer Sonny Ongkiko, supported by Jess Nicdao of ShelterBox Philippines, have been working with Rotarians in the area, the Philippines military and other aid agencies on the ground to get enough aid for 600 families rapidly to the affected area. 

The team will be joined on Saturday by SRT volunteer Arnold Kelly from New Zealand who has deployed to the region before. Arnold said: ‘The Philippines can certainly throw up challenges for us in all aspects of our job.’ Arnold will be assisting with the ongoing needs assessment and delivery of aid in the area.

Rotary and ShelterBox working together in the Philippines

Rotarians from Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, towns in Mindanao that were worst affected by Typhoon Washi on 16 December, have offered their assistance to the ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) on deployment in the Philippines to help put up ShelterBox tents.

 

Response team volunteers Abner Tayco (PH) and Jesus Nicdao (PH), arrived in the country’s second largest island on 20 December. They found many families in need of emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies, having had their homes swept away by the flash floods. 

With nearly 1,000 people dead and over 280,000 displaced by the late-season tropical storm, Philippines President Benigno Aquino has declared a national calamity, according to the BBC:

‘First priority is to relocate to areas that no longer pose a danger to them,’ he told a meeting in Cagayan de Oro.

 

The ShelterBox team has been working with the local government to find suitable safe sites to pitch the ShelterBox tents. Abner and Jesus have also been demonstrating to volunteers from local Rotary clubs how to set up the ShelterBox tents.

‘The assistance we have had from Rotary has been invaluable here,’ said Jesus, himself a Rotarian and also Chairman and Founder of ShelterBox Philippines. ‘It is possible for Abner and I to set up the tents ourselves but it would have been a much slower process. Now that we have shown the Rotarians how to do it, they will be able to help us set up camps rapidly. This will allow families who have lost everything to soon begin to rebuild their lives, offering them shelter, warmth and dignity - assets everyone should have so close to Christmas.’

 

Prepositioned ShelterBoxes in the Philippine city of Clark have enabled the charity’s quick response and are being flown to the affected areas by the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

 

Philippine Air Force helps ShelterBox

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has agreed to help ShelterBox distribute emergency shelter, if needed, to southernmost Philippine island Mindanao after a tropical storm struck on 16 December. 

Jose Ongkiko (PH) and Abner Tayco (PH) will be part of the ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) arriving in Mindanao on Tuesday 20 December to assess the need for emergency shelter. The SRT leader will be Rotarian Jesus Nicdao, Chairman and Founder of ShelterBox Philippines. 

Raging floodwaters cascaded from the mountains in Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, after 12 hours of non-stop rain from late-season Typhoon Washi. Nearly 700 people were asleep as they were swept to their deaths, according to Associated Press. Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were the towns that were hit hard by the floods forcing tens of thousands of people out of their homes to head for higher ground.

Philippine National Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang said that Mindanao is a mineral-rich region that also produces rice and corn but is not normally in the path of the average 20 typhoons that hit the Southeast Asian country each year: 

‘This poses challenges to us… We need to educate people with this kind of change in climate. The volume of rainfall for one month fell in just one day.’ 

‘The feeling is overwhelming as I prepare for deployment. The region is unaccustomed to the typhoons that are common to other areas of the archipelago,’ said SRT Volunteer Abner. ‘Thousands are left homeless and hundreds are still missing. In this season of giving, ShelterBox will provide temporary shelter and comfort to those who have lost everything.’ 

There are over 500 pre-positioned ShelterBoxes in the Philippine city of Clark to enable rapid support. To find out how you can give the gift of shelter this holiday season, please click here.  

ShelterBox assessing need for emergency aid in Philippines

ShelterBox are mobilising a Response Team in the Philippines to assess the need for emergency shelter following devastating storms and flash floods. 

Rescue efforts are continuing on the island of Mindanao as over five hundred people are reported to have lost their lives and many hundreds are still unaccounted for. Thousands more people have been displaced after the tropical storm Washi hit the area on Friday night, coinciding with high tides on the island, causing rivers to break their banks. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and thousands of families have been made homeless, with many sheltering in evacuation centres according to the Philippine's authorities. 

ShelterBox is liaising with its Philippine affiliate, Rotarians on the ground and highly trained volunteer Response Team members in the area to assess what support can be offered. ShelterBox has deployed to the Philippines eight times in the last five years and holds pre-positioned stock in the country to enable rapid support.

Jess Nicdao who is en route to the affected area said 'This is the first time we have deployed to Mindanao - with the help of our Rotary friends, I am sure we can provide the much needed help.'

ShelterBox End of Year Review

ShelterBox end of year report: Intro animation 2 from ShelterBox on Vimeo.

More than 15,000 ShelterBoxes have been distributed this year helping over 15,000 families made homeless by disasters around the world. In February, ShelterBox was named Charity of the Year out of 7,000 charities at the 2011 JustGiving Awards. ShelterBox volunteers and the organisation’s Founder and CEO Tom Henderson were awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award (US) for their efforts to provide shelter, warmth and dignity to survivors of disasters worldwide. ShelterBox has grown on an international scale with over 20 affiliates around the globe and is now recognised as one of the most innovative and leading disaster relief agencies providing emergency shelter in the world. These are just some of ShelterBox’s highlights from 2011. 

As the New Year approaches, to recognise all of the efforts from our workers, volunteers, donors and supporters, ShelterBox has produced an interactive magazine that reflects on the charity’s highlights throughout the year, which without any of you, wouldn’t have been achieved. Thank you. 

Click here to go to the End of Year Review  

Evolution in the ShelterBox Solution

A displaced family in Turkey using the solar lights providing them with light.

Not only does ShelterBox strive to respond fast in a disaster to reach affected families in the shortest time possible but the charity also is constantly improving the quality of the ShelterBox aid. 

Innovation is a key value for the disaster relief organisation. It enables ShelterBox to deliver the best aid package possible for people made homeless by disasters, providing them with shelter, warmth and dignity. 

Midi tents, thermal layers and solar lights are this year’s new items available as part of the ShelterBox Solution. 

Midi tents 

Midi tents are a more compact version of the ShelterBox disaster relief tent. They have been designed to offer a solution for varying occupancy levels and disaster conditions. 

‘The benefits of midi tents are that they are smaller to transport, easier to put up and take up less space,’ said ShelterBox Head of Operations John Leach. ‘They are therefore ideal for responses where space is at a premium or where temporary shelter is required for a shorter amount of time.’ 

 

Midi tents used in Thailand during the recent floods.

ShelterBox Response Teams (SRTs) recently distributed 1,000 midi tents in Thailand following the latest floods. They were a quick and effective solution as they are faster to distribute and are designed for families who may need to move their tent regularly. Displaced Thai families are able to use them temporarily until the water levels recede and can also move them easily if the water table shifts. 

This new option enables ShelterBox to target aid effectively and to make donors’ money go further. 

Thermal layer 

The ShelterBox’s disaster relief tent now has an optional purposefully designed thermal layer for extreme conditions. It can be added between the inner and outer sheets for extra insulation, improving the tent’s versatility in varying climates. 

The thermal layers were used for the first time during ShelterBox’s recent deployment to Turkey following the earthquake that struck on 23 October. Temperatures plummeted below freezing but the added thermal layer made all the difference to the comfort of the displaced families. 

Turkey’s emergency rescue services, AKUT, helped distribute the tents to the most affected areas. One team were all mountaineers from Istanbul and they slept in a tent with the added thermal layer: 

‘We loved the tent because it was so warm. We know our mountaineering equipment and the third layer is key to the insulation.’ 

Displaced Turkish family enjoying the tent's warmth from the added thermal layer.

Solar lights 

Nokero solar light bulbs are included as a lifesaving item in the ShelterBox kit providing light to disaster victims. They were also used for the first time in Turkey when millions of people lost power following the earthquake. 

'Nokero solar lights were chosen to be part of the elite ShelterBox response kit after rigorous study and research by the ShelterBox team,' said John. 'This is their first deployment in the field, and so far they are performing admirably.' 

With little access to candles or torches, affected families received five solar light bulbs as part of each ShelterBox. Every bulb brings hours of light every night for about 18 months before its AA rechargeable battery must be replaced. 

The ShelterBox Solution is constantly evolving to provide the best emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for people affected by disasters, enabling them to live in dignity and safety.  

 

 

ShelterBox at the Rotary Club of Copenhagen's 90th Anniversary

ShelterBox was present at the 90th Anniversary of the Rotary Club of Copenhagen and Rotary in Denmark, which was held at the Odd Fellow Palæ in Central Copenhagen on Wednesday, November 30^th, 2011.

The special guests were RI President Kalyan Bannerjee and his wife Binota and HRH Prince Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, who is the Protector of the Club.

President Kalyan Banerjee came by the ShelterBox display no less than 3 times and showed enthusiasm and interest in the project.

There was much interest from the many Rotarians present from around Denmark, whose clubs had generously donated boxes at the time of the Haiti earthquake. They were encouraged to consider going to the ‘next level’, to create awareness in their local communities with schools, scouts and companies.

Click here for a slideshow of photos from the event