FN anslår, at 4,6 millioner mennesker er uden husly i Pakistan. FN har beskrevet Pakistan som en af verdens værste humanitære. I alt skønnes otte millioner mennesker at have akut behov for mad, medicin og rent vand.
ShelterBox partnere har allerede distribueret over 1.900 ShelterBox telte til familier i nød. Disse telte var placeret i Pakistan i juni efter forudsigelser om en særlig dårlige monsoon sæson. ShelterBox er også at sende 5.000 "lifestraw" vandfiltre og 2.500 vandbeholdere til Pakistan som reaktion på behovet for rent vand.
Du kan støtte ShelterBox ved at overføre penge til
Reg:3121 konto nr. 3 11 12 56020 ...OG
Send dit navn, adresse, email og telefon detaljer til donate@shelterbox.dk, så vi kan udstede en bekræftelse og en Shelterbox nummer. Dette vil gøre dig i stand til at spore din boks.
The need in the Sindh province of Pakistan is absolutely desperate says ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) member Mark Pearson.
Flood waters in the country are continuing to move south, affecting more and more people as they do so. Mark arrived in Pakistan early this morning and travelled into the affected areas of Sindh.
‘There’s thousands of families living in the flooded area with no shelter, no clean drinking water and some people have had no food for five days,’ he said.
‘People are having to clean and cook with the flood water so waterborne disease are rife. As well as shelter people need medicine and clean water.’
The current aid effort is concentrated in the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province to the north but has been slow to reach families in the south.
Forgotten need
‘At this stage in the game the lack of aid here surprises me,’ continued Mark. ‘People here are in a very poor way and the scale of this is huge. The need is really big but there are very few others operating here.
‘People are living on 15ft strips of land, there are no roads functioning, only dust tracks, and with aid heading to the north this place feels forgotten about for sure.’
ShelterBox’s partners in Pakistan, NRSP (National Rural Support Programme) have moved 1,800 tents from Islamabad in Pakistan’s north to the Sindh province. These will be distributed immediately.
So far ShelterBox has committed emergency shelter for more than 61,000 people to Pakistan as well as water purification for 20,000 families.
International disaster relief charity ShelterBox is sending enough aid for another 200 families into Pakistan.
A further 200 emergency boxes of aid will leave ShelterBox and will be flown from France to Islamabad, Pakistan by the French military at no cost.
The boxes will then be distributed in partnership with the French Embassy Islamabad and National Disaster Management Authority Pakistan.
ShelterBox partners have already distributed over 1,000 ShelterBox tents to displaced families. These tents were pre-positioned in Pakistan in June following predictions of a particularly bad monsoon season.
Need for shelter
John Leach, Head of Operations, said: ‘We’ve worked with the French military in the past to get aid into Niger and Haiti and we’re delighted that they have once again stepped up and offered us free transport to Pakistan.
‘The need for shelter in Pakistan is growing by the day. We need to get more aid in as quickly as possible. By working with our international partners we can make this happen.’
These Shelterboxes will join the 200 boxes of aid that have already left the ShelterBox HQ in Helston, Cornwall. Each ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, a stove, blankets and other items essential for survival.
An additional 224 boxes are due to leave next week.
Agha Ali Javad, NRSP General Manager, said: ‘I’ve visited the affected areas and witnessed peoples’ miseries. Shelter is always the first priority.’
200 ShelterBoxes are due to leave ShelterBox headquarters today destined for Pakistan and more boxes will follow.
These boxes are in addition to the pre-positioned ShelterBox tents which are currently being distributed in the flood-hit country.
The boxes will be flown to Islamabad, Pakistan, where they will be distributed to displaced families by ShelterBox local partners, the NRSP (National Rural Support Programme).
Each ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, a stove, blankets and other items essential for survival.
John Leach, ShelterBox Head of Operations, said: ‘Within days of the disaster hitting Pakistan our pre-positioned tents were being distributed to the thousands of people displaced by the flooding.
‘The need for aid in Pakistan is worsening by the day and it is now imperative that we employ the fastest and most efficient way of getting shelter to those who need it most. To ensure this happens we continue to work closely with our partners in Pakistan to get our equipment distributed in the flood-hit regions.’
‘This disaster is still evolving as the flood water moves further south towards the Arabian Sea displacing thousands more people as it spreads. Our hearts go out to everyone caught up in the disaster.’
Further heavy rainfall is expected within the Sindh province.
ShelterBox partners in Pakistan are distributing 400 tents to survivors of the devastating floods that continue to ravage the country.
Rotary Karachi and the NDMA (National Disaster Management Agency) are now distributing the tents in the Sindh province in south east Pakistan, the latest area to be affected by the spreading floodwater.
The 400 tents were taken from a prepositioned stock of 900 that were sent to southern Pakistan in June, in addition to the 1,000 that ShelterBox positioned in the north of the country.
John Leach, Head of Operations, said: ‘This disaster is still evolving as the flood water moves further south towards the Arabian Sea displacing thousands more people as it spreads. Our hearts go out to everyone caught up in the disaster.’
This family was rescued from the floods in Pakistan and are now sheltered in
a ShelterBox tent. Photograph courtesy of NRSP
Aid for 1,000 families in Pakistan has been delivered in the last 48 hours
thanks to ShelterBox. Families whose homes were destroyed in the floods
have now found emergency shelter beneath the canvas of ShelterBox tents after
1,000 ShelterBox tents were distributed in Kyber Pukhtunkwa (KPK) and Punjab
regions of Pakistan in the past two days.
Each ShelterBox disaster
relief tent can house an extend family of up to ten people. The tents undergo
rigorous testing in wind and rain tunnels and can withstand extremes of high and
low temperatures.
ShelterBox’s partners in Pakistan, the NRSP (National
Rural Support Programme), delivered the aid to families who have been rescued
from Pakistan’s worst floods in living memory.
The tents were
pre-positioned in Pakistan by ShelterBox Field Operations Advisor, Mark Pearson,
a month ago on NRSP’s advice.
‘We knew a particularly bad monsoon season
was going to hit,’ said Mark. ‘We were operating in response to Cyclone Phet and
the flooding in the Hunza Valley and it made sense to keep boxes on standby in
readiness for any potential flooding.
‘I worked closely with NRSP and
trained them on the best way to distribute our kit. They’ve been fantastic in
getting aid to families most in need immediately after the floods hit.’
Incredible support
ShelterBox Head of Operations, John
Leach, added: ‘We’ve been working in Pakistan since early June and monitoring
the situation in the Hunza Valley since the landslide happened there in January.
‘We’ve worked with NRSP since the Kashmir earthquake in 2005 and it’s
because of this partnership that we’ve been able to deliver aid to survivors of
the floods so quickly. A distribution of this scale and magnitude wouldn’t have
been possible without their efforts and the efforts of our supporters around the
world.
‘It’s vital we’re always ready for the next disaster and our
supporters have been magnificent this year. As we’ve seen with the floods in
Pakistan, we don’t know when the next disaster will hit. To stay ready, we need
your help, however great or small that may be.’
Since 2005, ShelterBox
has worked in Pakistan in response to earthquakes, conflict, flooding, cyclones
and landslides.
Families in Brazil are now in secure shelter for the first time
since losing their homes in unprecedented flooding but there is still a 'crying
need' for emergency shelter.
200 ShelterBoxes arrived in Recife, Brazil
on Sunday, July 4 and have now been distributed in the town of Barreiros in the
state of Pernambuco. Families who have had no shelter since their homes were
destroyed in the flooding are now living in ShelterBox tents.
ShelterBox
Response Team members Pat Prendergast (UK), Phil Duloy (UK), Tom Lay (UK), Jodie
Hurt (UK) and John Cordell (US) are working with local Rotarians and state
officials to ensure the most effective distribution of the ShelterBoxes.
Speaking from Barreiros, Pat Prendergast said: ‘Yesterday we set up two
camps, one of 169 tents and a second, on higher ground, of 31 tents. We’ve been
working with the local authorities who have set up electricity, toilet blocks
and access to fresh water.
‘There’s still people sleeping on the streets
and there’s an absolute crying need for shelter, more so than anything else. As
far as we’re aware, we’re the only aid organisation active in the
area.’
A further 200 ShelterBoxes will arrive in Brazil on Monday, July 12 and will be
distributed in Branquinha, a town in the state of Alagoas immediately.
ShelterBox Head of Operations, John Leach, added: ‘The team in Brazil
and the Rotarians they’re working with have done an absolutely incredible job.
‘We’ve never been able to deliver aid into Brazil before and their work
with the state officials has been fundamental in allowing us to deliver aid to
people who are in desperate need. We’re packing more boxes at ShelterBox HQ and
doing all we can to ensure more aid arrives imminently.’
The floods are
an annual event in both Pernambuco and Alagoas but this year's are on a scale
not seen before.
These clips are both in Portuguese but still worth watching:
Emergency humanitarian aid for thousands of
families affected by the horrific flooding will arrive in Brazil this weekend.
Torrential rain in the Pernambuco and Alagoas regions of Brazil has left
an estimated 100,000 people homeless. According to the ShelterBox Response Team
(SRT), who have now been in Brazil for a week, the damage is an the scale of a
tsunami.
SRT member Pat Prededergast (UK) said: ‘I’ve been on many
deployments with ShelterBox after disasters but this is as bad as I’ve seen it.
‘I was shocked by the extent of the damage, it’s awful. It’s like the
scene after a tsunami. The people are desperate over here and really need our
help.’
Pat and fellow SRT member Phil Duloy (UK) have been working with
Brazilian Rotarian and ShelterBox Supporter, Conrado Orsatti, and the State
Govenors of Pernambuco and Alagoas to clear the logistical path for ShelterBoxes
to arrive in country.
'Massive
need'
200 boxes are due to arrive in Recife on Sunday,
July 4 with the second consignment of 200 arriving later in the week. SRT
members John Cordell (US) and Tom Lay (UK) will also be arriving into Recife on
Sunday and will work with the team on the ground, Rotarians and the government
to ensure the fastest and most effective distribution of the aid.
ShelterBox Head of Operations, John Leach, added: ‘The need for
emergency shelter in Pernambuco and Alagoas is massive.
‘We’ve managed
to secure the delivery of an initial 400 ShelterBoxes and we’ll be doing
everything we can to increase this number and get help to those people who
desperately need it.’
Homes destroyed, communities devastated and families sheltering wherever they can. This is the scene in Guatemala after the compounding effects of Tropical Storm Agatha and the eruption of the Pacaya Volcano.
ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members Alan Monroe (US) and Mike Freeman (US) have been in the Central American country assessing the need for ShelterBoxes in the wake of the twin disasters. The SRT report there is a clear need for ShelterBox’s assistance and aid is being readied to be sent into the region.
They have been working around the clock identifying areas in most need. With the help of the Emergency Disaster Committee of the Rotary Clubs of Guatemala, the SRT have been able to travel quickly to the affected areas and see the need for themselves.
‘Our contact worked out a transport to Carderas, a community devastated by its proximity to Volcano Pacaya as well as the flooding from Tropical Strom Agatha,’ said Alan. ‘We met with an elderly gentleman who said each day he travels up the mountain, two hours by foot, to clear out his mudfilled home and rebuild their roof.
‘Each evening, he travels back to the shelter, a children’s school, to be with his family. When told of our mission, he said a ShelterBox would allow his family to live together while they rebuilt their home.
‘His family is just one of around 300 living in the school, all who have homes encased in mud or destroyed by the falling lava rocks. He told he was unsure of how long the government would allow his family to stay in the school.’
While working in Carderas, the SRT met with members of the Guatemalan Scouts who had volunteered their time to help the community back on its feet. The Scouts told the team they would ‘love’ to help deliver ShelterBoxes if possible.
At ShelterBox HQ in Cornwall, UK, the latest SRT candidates, volunteers who are currently undergoing an intensive 9-day training course, packed 112 ShelterBoxes on Tuesday, June 8 which are set to be the first consignment of ShelterBox aid heading to Guatemala.
Meanwhile, the team in country are working with Rotarians and CONRED (the National Organization for Disaster Coordination to clear the logistical path for the aid.
International disaster relief charity ShelterBox is responding to a devastating tropical storm which has ravaged large parts of Central America and forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes.
Tropical Storm Agatha slammed into Guatamala on Monday dumping more than 3ft of rain in the mountainous west of the country and in neighbouring El Salvador.
The torrential downpours have killed nearly 150 people and left more than 94,000 homeless as the storm buried homes under mud.
ShelterBox is deploying a US and Canadian-based ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) to Guatemala to assess the need for emergency shelter.
John Leach, Head of Operations at ShelterBox, said: ‘Nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated from their homes so the need for emergency shelter is clear. Last week’s eruption from the Pacaya volcano is likely to have worsened the effects of the flooding and we are looking to see how we can help those in greatest need.’
Last November ShelterBox responded to Hurricane Ida which caused flooding and mudslides that killed at least 150 people as it moved through the region.
Central America is vulnerable to heavy rains due to its mountainous terrain, while poor communications in rural areas complicate rescue efforts.
ShelterBox Denmark, represented by Steve Pickering (on right in photo)was at Copenhagen Airport this morning to give a send-off to Ripley Davenport, the intrepid solo walker, who is heading out to Mongolia to embark on a 2,700 kilometer unaided walk across the country from east to west.
Ripley was presented with some useful 'kit' in the form of a ShelterBox fleece and T-shirts. to help him deal with the extreme temperatures. Ripley is walking in support of several charities, of which ShelterBox is one.
It will be a momentous test of human endurance and he expects the walk to take around three months. He will be blogging to his web site, www.mongolia2010.com on a daily basis, so it will be interesting to follow his progress.
On his return, Ripley will participate in a gala dinner in his honour arranged by ShelterBox, where he will give a talk of his journey, supported by video footage, and there will be an auction of his equipment, including his trailer, which is at present loaded up with vacuum-packed high-energy food and weighs 235 kg!
We wish him luck and thank him for raising awareness for ShelterBox!
ShelterBox responds to earthquake in Western China
The earthquake struck the remote Qinghai province. Image: USGS
ShelterBox is responding to a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that has rocked Western China.
The earthquake struck the remote and mountainous Qinghai province near Tibet, one of China's poorest regions, killing at least 400 people and injuring 10,000. A series of aftershocks collapsed houses, schools and offices in the ethnic Tibetan county of Yushu, leaving survivors without shelter in freezing conditions.
The charity will be working to assess the areas of greatest need and has already mobilised one of its China based ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members.
Lasse Petersen, ShelterBox General Manager, said: ‘The local officials are already saying the biggest problem they’re facing is lack of tents. The situation of several villages higher up in the mountains is still unknown, and roads and communications have been cut.
'Reports suggest there’s widespread destruction and we are liaising with our personnel in China to assess the need.’
The quake, which struck at 2349 GMT (0749 local time), was centred 150 miles north of Qamdo in Tibet and 235 miles south of the mining town of Golmud in Qinghai, and had a depth of 6.2 miles according to the United States Geological Service.
At that time ShelterBox provided emergency shelter for and estimated 45,000 people after the earthquake devastated a huge area of South Western China and left millions homeless.
Earthquake damage in the Mexicali, Mexico. Photograph: Jenifer Kormendy
Emergency shelter for up to 2,600 people is being sent to Mexico after an earthquake rocked the country last week.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Baja California region on Sunday, April 4. An estimated 25,000 people have been affected by the earthquake with the worse damage in rural areas south of Mexicali.
More than 5,000 families have reported that their homes have been either complete destroyed or severely damaged. ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members John Mackie (US) and Jennifer Kormendy (CA) arrived in Mexicali on Saturday, April 10 and will soon receive the first consignment of ShelterBox tents.
Jennifer said: ‘We toured some of the worst hit areas on Saturday and there is definitely a need for ShelterBox aid.
‘People have stunned looks on their faces as they try to comprehend what lies ahead following the earthquake. There have been over 2,000 aftershocks since the earthquake struck and even if homes were not flooded or flattened, many structures remain too unstable to occupy and people are sleeping outdoors.
‘ShelterBox tents will allow them to gather their families and remaining possessions and stay close to their homes until they are able to rebuild. The tents will likely be used for up to a year as many do not possess the resources to rebuild immediately.
‘We have been receiving invaluable logistical support from government agencies and enthusiastic Rotarians.’
ShelterBox Head of Operations, John Leach, added: ‘This is the fourth earthquake we’ve responded to this year and we’re working hard at HQ to make sure the team get the tents they’ve requested as quickly as possible.
‘There are people in need and our job is to get them shelter and give them the security they need to begin the rebuilding process.’
A selection of photographs taken by the ShelterBox Response Team in Mexico can be seen here.
Up to 200 people hit by Cyclone Tomas in Fiji have been
given emergency shelter by disaster relief charity ShelterBox.
The category four storm battered the Vanua Levu and Lau Group islands
last
month, destroying homes and crops and prompting authorities to declare a
state
of emergency.
Two ShelterBox Response Team members, Lyndon Tamblyn (NZ) and Walter van
der
Kley (NZ), have distributed 20 boxes of aid containing ten-person
disaster
relief tents and life-saving supplies to the Undu area in Vanua Levu’s
north.
The team received transportation and logistical assistance from Rotary
clubs
and government authorities both in Fiji and New Zealand.
'Large damage'
Lyndon said: 'This was a very slow moving cyclone and battered areas for
up to
48 hours with winds of 150 to 220km per hour. It created a major
disaster on a
big land and sea area covering many regions, some of which were a day’s
travel by boat and with no working aircraft landing zones for aircraft.
‘Many homes have been destroyed by Cyclone Tomas winds and the ensuing
tidal surge. Because of no road access to remote villages, we had to use
a
mixture of transportation means by road and by boat.
'There was large damage to telecommunications, roads, electricity
supply, water
supply and to food crops. The 20 ShelterBoxes we distributed were well
received
by those who had lost their homes in the disaster.’
Walter said: 'This was a successful deployment with the help much
appreciated.
The ShelterBoxes we distributed by boat were in very isolated areas and
we
couldn't have done it without expert local boatmen and Government
logistical
support.'
ShelterBox getting aid to hardest to reach areas in Chile ShelterBox Response
Teams (SRT) in earthquake-hit Chile have been delivering emergency shelter to
remote communities across a huge geographical area.
The 8.8-magnitude
quake that struck the South American country a month ago caused widespread
destruction in dozens of towns and villages and triggered a tsunami which
ravaged a large section of the Chilean coast.
A SRT made up of Jessica
Stanton, Andy Green, Sallie Buck and Malcolm Stead (all UK) has been delivering
disaster relief tents and life-saving supplies for up to 10,000 people in four
different regions of southern Chile.
The massive area stretches from
Iloca, north of the worst-affected city Concepcion, to Lebu on the coast, and
measures an estimated 40,000 square kilometers – roughly the size of the
Netherlands.
Jessica Stanton, ShelterBox Operations Coordinator and Team
Leader in Chile, said: ‘This deployment has been by far the most complex I’ve
experienced. The effects of the disaster are split across such an enormous area.
It was one of the biggest earthquakes ever with some communities hit by the
earthquake and others by the subsequent tsunami. Every town we are going to is
in a critical state but we have to ensure the 1,000 tents we have on the ground
go to those most in need.
‘Yesterday we gave a box to a large family
where the mother was just three days away from giving birth and her
six-month-old baby had bronchitis. They had been living in a greenhouse with no
proper floor and because it’s so hot and dusty it was making the baby’s
condition worse. They were very emotional when they received the ShelterBox and
everybody just burst out crying.’
'Unbelievably resilient'
The team has been working with the NGO, Un Techo Para Chile, consignee
Adelphos, logistics firm Goodyear and Rotary clubs, Scouts and fire services to
ensure aid is distributed.
A fifth ShelterBox Response Team member,
Peter Leach (UK), has been based in Santiago assisting with customs and
logistics. ShelterBoxes have so far been given out to people who have lost their
homes in Retiro, Parral, Cauquenes, Chanco and Copihue. Along the coast,
Talcahuano, Lebu and Coronle have also received ShelterBox aid.
Andy
Green said: ‘Shelterbox has been working in some of the hardest to reach places
in rural Chile near the epicentre of the earthquake. We are the first
organisation to be operating in the rural areas around some of the towns and
villages.
‘The small town of Retiro was one of the worst affected places
and a huge distance away from any major routes. We have been working with the
Retiro scouts and Retiro fire bridage to work in areas that have not received
aid.’
Aid recipient Sara Norambvena ,70, said: ‘I never thought I would
lose my house. Thanks to ShelterBox I have a place now to spend the winter that
is coming. I have seven grandchildren that I look after and now having these two
tents means we will be safe. Shelterbox is the first aid we have seen since the
earthquake. We are so happy we have not been forgotten.’
Jessica added:
‘Down on the coast, such as in Talcahuano, we delivered boxes to families who
had been living under plastic sheeting in really cramped conditions. The rains
are due imminently and once they start, the whole situation will become a
million times worse.
'In more urban areas such as Parral, there is a lot
less space and with all the buildings made of mud and sand, the earthquake
turned the whole town into rubble. In the old mining town of Coronle, houses
built on top of mining tunnels which have collapsed have caused the houses to
slip downhill. And in the fishing town of Lebu, people have not only lost their
homes but also their livelihoods.
'The Chilean people are unbelievably
resilient and are really pulling together.’
I efteråret 2009 var Frederiksberg Rotaract Klub værter og arrangører ved Nordact 2009. Det var en weekend i København, hvor Rotaractere fra mange lande i Europa samledes om mange emner. Et af dem var ShelterBox og Box 1470/1 var inviteret på besøg og blev vist frem. At der efterfølgende blev snakket nødhjælp og især ShelterBox er der vist inge tvivl om, for Nordactmødet vedtog, at et overskud fra arrangementet skulle doneres til ShelterBox. Regnskabet er nu afsluttet og i forbindelse med Frederiksberg Rotaracts generalforsamling tidligere i dag, kunne jeg i dag på vegne af ShelterBox modtage en check på 26.000 DKK. På billedet overrækker Præsident Anna Aabakke checken.
ShelterBox International Training Academy Manager and ShelterBox
Response Team member, Ben Spurway, has recently returned from Port au
Prince, Haiti.
Ben spent two weeks distributing ShelterBoxes to people who had been
affected by January’s earthquake. It was Ben’s second deployment since
qualifying as a SRT member in 2009.
The following is Ben’s account of his time spent in Haiti:
‘We’d been warned that security in the area may be a problem as the area
was adjacent to the notorious United Nations Red Zone - Cite Soleil –
an area that had been declared too hostile in which to distribute aid.
So on arrival we were obviously fairly cautious, but our concerns were
quickly dismissed as we found the inhabitants really warm and engaging.
‘When we arrived, our partners in the French Red Cross (FRC) had
commenced working with the community to erect the tents and three were
already up. We quickly got stuck in, motivated by the enthusiasm and
energy displayed by the locals. The site comprised of two main open
areas separated by a school building and surrounded on three sides by
buildings or walls, all of which were visibly unstable and liable to
collapse.
‘The FRC had identified community leaders and supported them to create a
list of inhabitants and allocate the aid to the most vulnerable. This
community empowerment ensured that the aid was going to those who needed
it most like Riline and her sisters Calise, Eshnee.
‘Joseph Emmanuel, one of community's leaders, explained that many had
lost family members, or were waiting for loved ones to join them which
would bring additional problems for the site, as it was already
overcrowded. Mr Emmanuel was waiting for his pregnant wife to join him
and his parents, with her uncle and cousin; all made homeless after the
quake.
‘Everyone seemed to be getting involved in the distribution, young and
old, male and female, and it was a vibrant atmosphere. It felt like a
real community. I didn't detect any animosity. At one point I was
working with a couple of teenagers. We were laughing and joking,
although I didn’t speak a word of French and they no English. I feel we
made a real difference, changing that camp overnight. I think it really
raised their standard of living.
‘The tents, once erected, were placed upon a foundation of concrete
blocks, as an attempt to raise them off the floor. Tom Henderson,
ShelterBox Founder and CEO , was able to speak to Mr Laurole, who
explained that with the forthcoming rains the water would come up to
their knees. He and his eight relatives were really looking forward to
moving into a ShelterBox tent, after living under nothing more than a
sheet.
‘People were clearly excited to get tents. There was no moaning or
groaning. I just found people really positive. It felt like the first
step on the road to recovery.
‘This was just one of the many positive stories I witnessed during my
deployment in Haiti. Yet the enormity and complexity of the problem goes
way beyond the need for shelter. As I left it became apparent that the
Haitian government was announcing forced evictions from temporary camps
and there was a feeling of frustration amongst the humanitarian
community we spoke to.
‘The need in Haiti remains huge. All the SRT members working in Haiti
have done, and are doing, an incredible job. The feedback we’ve had from
the other agencies we’ve been working with has been extremely positive
and encouraging. More importantly, the impact ShelterBox is having on
the lives of Haitian people is huge.’
The ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) in Uganda is eagerly awaiting their
first shipment of ShelterBoxes later tonight.
SRT member Stuart Oates (UK) said the boxes are expected to arrive at
8pm Ugandan time and are going to be collected first thing tomorrow
morning once they clear customs. The 200 ShelterBoxes, as well as 12
‘Classrooms in a Box’, will be loaded onto an articulated lorry and
driven to Bududa, the region affected by the landslide.
Stuart says they are receiving assistance from the Ugandan Red Cross, as
well as the Prime Minister’s Office, with the logistics of moving the
boxes from the airport to the affected area.
Along with the 200 Shelterboxes and 12 ‘Classrooms in a Box’, which
contain enough materials for up to 600 children to learn with, they are
expecting deliveries of tools and other items for local communities who
do not require tents but still need help rebuilding their lives.
Stuart added the camp in Bududa currently houses approximately 3,500
people, made up of 890 families and 1,300 children, all of whom were
displaced by the landslides earlier this month. He, and fellow SRT
member Laura Dale, have now been in the country for a week.
ShelterBox is distributing disaster relief tents and life-saving supplies for up to 10,000 earthquake survivors in Chile.
Around 1,000 ShelterBoxes are arriving in the capital Santiago this weekend where they will be met by two ShelterBox Response Teams (SRT) and delivered to those who lost their homes in the devastating 8.8 magnitude quake.
With strong aftershocks still a regular occurrence nearly a fortnight after the disaster, ShelterBox workers on the ground have been assessing areas of greatest need in the Talca region, north of the worst-affected city, Concepcion.
SRT members Tom Lay (UK), Pat Prendergast (UK) and Traci Oliver (US) will be joined by SRT members Jessica Stanton, Sallie Buck, Andy Green and Malcolm Shead, all from the UK, who are flying out to Chile on Saturday.
Incoming Team Leader and ShelterBox Operations Coordinator Jessica Stanton said: ‘We’ll be arriving at the same time as 1,000 ShelterBoxes arrive so we’ll have our work cut out distributing the tents and supplies.
‘The Chilean government and other agencies have been providing emergency shelter in Concepcion, the city closest to the quake’s epicentre, and to areas along the coast which were hit by a tsunami.
‘But we’re hearing reports that more inland, rural communities near Talca are not getting any support despite people’s homes being destroyed by the earthquake. We’re looking to put tents up close to people’s homesteads so they can stay where they are under cover while starting to rebuild their lives and homes.’
'Massive damage'
The 1,000 ShelterBoxes – providing enough aid for up to 10,000 people - have come from prepositioned stock in Melbourne, Singapore and Dubai as well as from ShelterBox HQ in Cornwall, UK. ShelterBox has a network of strategic locations around the globe where boxes are stored to allow a speedy response to disasters wherever they strike.
On arrival in Santiago the boxes will be transported by road to Talca with help from shipping company DHL.
SRT member Tom Lay said: ‘There is massive damage in the region of Talca and a lot of buildings are just gone. We’ve identified rural communities in the towns of Curepto, Villa Prat and Curico which were hit by the quake and suffered devastation, but are at the bottom of the list in terms of getting aid, so we’re making sure these communities get emergency shelter as quickly as possible.
‘The aftershocks we’ve felt have been really strong and we had to evacuate the building we were in. We can’t wait for the boxes to arrive and as soon as they do we’ll be distributing them.’
ShelterBox Founder Tom Henderson has seen firsthand how ShelterBox tents are
providing shelter to families who have lost everything in Haiti.
The charity’s CEO is in Port au Prince where 10,000 ShelterBox tents have
been distributed to those left homeless in the tragedy, with thousands more
tents on the way.
Tom has been undertaking a field assessment of ShelterBox’s operations in
Haiti and meeting partner agencies who have provided support during one of the
largest deployments in the charity’s history. He is joined by
ShelterBox’s International Training Academy Manager Ben Spurway (UK) and
ShelterBox Response Team member David Eby (US), one of the first aid workers to
arrive in Port au Prince following the earthquake on January 12.
‘This trip has enabled us to stage a detailed evaluation of the crucial
work being undertaken by our response team volunteers operating in the
field’, Tom said. ‘We have had teams on the ground in Port au
Prince since the earthquake struck and we have distributed more than 10,000
tents and life-saving supplies to those most in need, with thousands more tents
committed to Haiti.
‘With an estimated one million Haitians still living without adequate
shelter in heavy rains and the hurricane season soon approaching, there is
certainly no let up in the need for emergency shelter.’
ShelterBoxes
vital
ShelterBox Response Team members on the ground say the disaster relief tents
they are distributing are vital in the continued aid effort.
SRT member Phil Duloy (UK), said: ‘I met a family of three in Delmas
staying in a shelter made of sticks lashed together with shoelaces, covered by
bed sheets and walled with old cardboard boxes. They were very happy to move
into a ShelterBox tent.’
SRT member Jens Pagotto (NZ) added: ‘The need here is still desperately
unfulfilled. Our tents and family kits are in high demand. The co-operation and
co-ordination between different agencies is very strong and the number of
different projects we'll be working on over the next few weeks is growing all
the time.
‘With sometimes two or three families living in one tent, the only
questions we are asked are when and how many more tents we can provide. The
need shows no signs of letting up, and it's obvious that our involvement here
is still as important as it was five or six weeks ago.
‘Only the other day I met a boy, less than three years old, who was found
left in a dumpster. He is now making a full recovery at the Miami University
Field Hospital and I was told last night that there was a chance that an
adoptive family or place at an orphanage was being arranged.'
Acute
need
Jens, who has been on numerous ShelterBox deployments, said there was a huge
pressure for emergency shelter in Haiti.
‘I have never seen such an acute need as there is here,’ he said.
Rachel Pitot from the charity Partners With Haiti who have worked with
ShelterBox in Port au Prince, said: ‘It was amazing to see pregnant women
going from being in the back of an old box truck with no cover to being in a
ShelterBox tent safe and dry with their new baby. Many of the babies were born
only hours after receiving the box!
'Thank you again for allowing us to distribute such amazing gifts to our
Haitian brothers and sisters.’
A three-person ShelterBox Response Team
(SRT) has arrived in Chile after a massive earthquake rocked the country last
weekend.
They had to travel through Argentina and
across the Andes in order to reach Chile’s capital Santiago and are now pulling
out all the stops to establish where ShelterBoxes are most needed.
The team, consisting of Pat Prendergast
(UK), Tom Lay (UK) and Traci Oliver (US) have met with Rotary contacts and
government officials in Santiago. They will be travelling south to Concepcion
and the worst affected areas tomorrow (Friday, March 5). Concepcion is Chile’s
second largest city and was nearest to the quake’s epicentre.
Speaking at the time of the team’s arrival
in Santiago, Pat said: ‘From all the report we’ve heard there’s an absolute
crying need for shelter in Concepcion and areas along the coast which have been
largely overlooked.’
The team’s contacts in Chile told them that
the Iloca region, on Chile’s coast, was hit by a tsunami after the earthquake.
The tsunami reached three miles inland in some areas causing widespread damage
and destruction. The SRT will be visiting the area as soon as they travel south
towards Concepcion, a twelve hour drive from Santiago.
448 ShelterBoxes have already been
committed to Chile and more look set to follow.
Further heavy rainfall is expected within the Sindh province.
The earthquake struck the remote Qinghai province. Image: USGS
Earthquake damage in the Mexicali, Mexico. Photograph: Jenifer Kormendy
