Health

Santa Barbara-Based International Disaster Relief Organization ShelterBox USA Preparing to Respond in Haiti

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ShelterBox Response 2010

“We’ve worked in the country before, and we’ve connected already with our partners Habitat, IFRC, Rotary International, to determine who’s been affected, what the immediate needs are. We focus on the provisions of emergency shelter and household supplies,” – ShelterBox President Kerri Murray.


SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (PRWEB)

ShelterBox is working to understand the full extent of the damage caused by the earthquake that occurred on the morning of August 14th, 2021. There will be a significant need for emergency shelter and we are preparing to respond if needed, with more than two thousand households of aid that is prepositioned in Panama. We are currently working on plans for the logistical and access challenges of working in an area where buildings have been reduced to rubble and where COVID-19 vaccinations rates are low.

Haiti is extremely politically turbulent, and Saturday’s earthquake comes amid a political crisis in the country following the assassination of its president last month. Tropical Storm Grace could also impact Haiti on Monday and Tuesday – bringing heavy rains to the region and potentially affecting search and rescue efforts.

Major Points

  • ShelterBox has significant experience working in the region. We have worked in Haiti five times including in 2010 after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated the country when 200,000 people lost their lives and 5 million people lost their homes.

  • In 2010, ShelterBox provided shelter for 28,000 families (140,000 people) – our biggest response to date.

  • Our most recent response in Haiti was in 2016 following Hurricane Matthew. We worked in Les Cayes which is near to the epicenter of this most recent quake.

  • Haiti is extremely politically turbulent, and Saturday’s earthquake comes amid a political crisis in the country following the assassination of its president last month.


Video/Image Assets: To support this media opportunity, ShelterBox USA has provided images of our past response work in Haiti. Click here to access the ShelterBox images of past work in Haiti and B-roll footage of our global responses.

About ShelterBox

ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters or conflict. In April 2021, ShelterBox surpassed providing support to two million people since 2000, responding to more than 300 disasters in nearly 100 countries. ShelterBox responds urgently to earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, or conflict by delivering boxes of essential shelter, aid, and other life-saving supplies. Each iconic green ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, a water filtration system, emergency lighting, and other tools for survival. The organization was nominated for a distinguished Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 and 2019. ShelterBox USA is based in Santa Barbara, California.

To schedule an interview with ShelterBox USA President Kerri Murray, please get in touch with Sarah Robinson at 907-854-0901 or SRobinson@ShelterBoxUSA.org.

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