shelterbox

ShelterBox responds as monsoon rains hit Pakistan

Torrential monsoon rain over the past five weeks has forced four million people from their homes following flooding in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

With the help of the National Rural Support Programme (NSRP), over 2,400 prepositioned ShelterBoxes have already been deployed from Badin over the last two weeks with a further 448 boxes to arrive in Karachi today.

Heavy monsoon rains have inundated southern Sindh province, which was severely affected by last year's floods. The devastation of the monsoon rains has been compounded by breaches to a series of canals on the left-bank of the Indus river. The resulting floods have already destroyed a million homes with 2,600 villages being submerged across 19 districts.

Monsoon rains are still forecast for next week meaning floodwaters are not residing and families will continue to be affected.

Mark Pearson, ShelterBox field operations specialist, said: ‘The floods have only worsened the situation that we witnessed last year. We are fortunate to have prepositioned stock within the region, which means the speed and efficiency of our response has been maximised.

‘However, the need for more aid will remain constant long after the monsoon season finishes as many families will remain homeless.’

The Pakistan government has declared the floods as an official emergency and are asking the international aid community to respond urgently.

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Absolutely desperate’ need in southern Pakistan

 

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.

See Mark Pearson's photos here

French Military transport 200 more boxes to Pakistan

 
ShelterBoxes being packed 

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.’ 

ShelterBoxes en-route to Pakistan

 

Boxes are packed at ShelterBox HQ

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.’ 

Pakistan Update

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Pakistan update: Sindh province

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.’ 

Additional aid sent ot Pakistan

An extra 400 ShelterBoxes have been sent to Pakistan to further assist the people who have fled the fighting between the army and militants in the north of the country.

The latest consignment of boxes are in addition to the boxes sent to the region in May and June to help the estimated 2.4 million people displaced by the fighting. They will provide emergency shelter for up to 4,000 people. ShelterBox Response Team leader Mark Pearson (UK) will meet the boxes and oversee their distribution. 

Camp set up in Pakistan

THURSDAY 4 JUNE, PAKISTAN: ShelterBox has set up a camp for up to 2,500 people who have fled the fighting between the army and militants in northern Pakistan. Tarakai Camp has been set up in Swabi district in the North West Frontier Province. “This is an area where hundreds of thousands of people have fled to escape the bitter fighting,” says ShelterBox Response Team leader Mark Pearson. “There is a massive need for our help here. Most people are living in very overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.” ShelterBox has provided 250 heavy duty 10-person tents and special family kits of essential equipment to the camp. Oxfam UK has provided water and sanitation while the land has been provided by the local Liaquat Tarakai Welfare Trust. ShelterBox is also working with the National Rural Support Agency and local Rotarians. The size of the camp will double in the next two weeks. An additional 250 ten-person tents have now arrived in Islamabad and will be delivered to Swabi shortly. “ShelterBox tents are perfect for the harsh conditions here,” adds Mark. “They can withstand the soaring midday heat and the sandstorms.” Once the new tents are set up the camp will house up to 5,000 people. The United Nations estimates that a total of 2.4 million have been displaced by the fighting, 80 percent of whom have been forced from their homes in the last five weeks. ShelterBox has provided more than 1,000 ten-person tents to Pakistan since the end of May. “The scale of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan is huge,” says Lasse Petersen, ShelterBox General Manager. “We are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising with Mark on the ground with a view to getting help to those most in need.”

Additional aid sent ot Pakistan

Wednesday 27 May, PAKISTAN: Volunteers at the Helston HQ have been packing an additional 250 ShelterBoxes to be sent to Pakistan to assist those who have fled their homes because of the conflict in the north west of the country. The latest shipment of aid is due to arrive in Islamabad by the end of the month. ShelterBox Response Team member Mark Pearson (UK) is in the country to coordinate the aid distribution. He is currently overseeing the allocation of 250 ShelterBoxes, 224 relief tents, 250 heavy duty tents and 380 ‘family kits’ of essential equipment which are already in Pakistan. “The need for ShelterBox is massive. In total there are 1.88 million registered displaced people since the conflict began with little or no shelter available for them,” says Mark. “I went to one registration point and they received 1,200 people in one day and that was a quiet day. The situation is so bad. In government buildings close to the conflict area there are three families (90 people) living in each room. The conditions are horrendous.”