Typhoon Morakot

ShelterBox, international disaster relief organisation and global

Rotary club project, is responding to Typhoon Morakot after tens of thousands of people have been left stranded in the storm’s wake. During the past several days, the storm has passed over the Philippines, Taiwan and mainland China, leaving a trail of destruction.

High winds, flooding and mudslides have left thousands in need of emergency shelter. In Taiwan, 50,000 people are stranded and flooding has submerged many homes. In China nearly 1 million people have been evacuated in the Fujian Province while 13,000 people have been displaced in the Zambales Province in the Philippines with authorities describing the situation as a calamity. Typhoon Morakot has brought with it a record amount of rainfall with close to 2.5 metres falling on Taiwan.

ShelterBox is providing emergency disaster relief on all three fronts. ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members Peter Pearce (AU) and Ross Mackenzie (NZ) are already on the ground in the Philippines, SRT members Greg Rogers (UK) and Philip Duloy (UK) will arrive in Taipei, Taiwan today and SRT member Tony Zhang (CH) is assessing the situation in China.

ShelterBox Founder Tom Henderson said: ‘This is a textbook ShelterBox operation. We’ve been watching this for a few days and monitoring the situation. We now have teams in place on all three fronts that will be providing emergency disaster relief as quickly as possible. With each ShelterBox containing a 10-person tent, blankets, water purification and cooking equipment, basic tools, a stove and other essential equipment, we not only provide people with emergency shelter provision but also the tools to start rebuilding their lives.’