Wednesday 17 March 2010
First deployment one of many challenges
Denise Ho (left) and Jodie Hurt (right) with two of the people helped in Peru.Jodie Hurt, aged 33 from Cornwall, UK, qualified as a ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) member in November 2009.
In February 2010, Jodie received the call for her first ShelterBox deployment. She would be part of a three-person team heading to Cuzco, deep in the Peruvian Andes, to deliver emergency shelter to thousands of people who lost their homes in floods and landslides.
Jodie wanted to become a SRT member to make a difference to people’s lives and help them at a time when they needed it most. Her first deployment threw many challenges at her and her fellow team members Gary Boe (US) and Denise Ho (US).
Below are Jodie’s reflections on her time spent in Peru:
‘My first deployment as a ShelterBox Response Team member was one of many extremes and mixed emotions. Peru. Floods and landslides. It was an amazing experience for me to be able to help those people who have lost everything.
‘While waiting for the shipment of boxes we were working with Rotarians, INDECI (the National Civil Defense Institute of Peru) and customs. There were lots of meetings and coordinating of logistics as well as research into where the need was most in Peru.
‘We were made honourary associates to INDECI and attended important functions where I made a presentation for ShelterBox. Once the boxes arrived and we saw all 200 of them in customs it was such an exciting feeling.
‘The normal time for clearing customs in Peru is at least two weeks but with help from our consignee, INDECI, and Carlos Rioja we managed to break the record and got the boxes released in just six days!
‘During this time Denise, who lives in Lima, stayed to ensure the smooth process and release of the boxes. Gary and I flew to one of the worst hit regions of Peru, Cuzco.
'Heart breaking'
‘We were at 8000ft and on arriving both suffered from altitude sickness. We were forced to rest and we made sure we drank lots of coca tea. The next day, once recovered, we travelled to three different villages in the Cusco region. It was awful to see so many families who had lost everything. I could see the sadness and loss within their eyes, it was heart breaking. While we were assessing different villages, we received information about another region of Peru, Puno where the need was also great. We decided Gary should make the six hour bus ride to Puno.
‘I continued with my recon work in Cusco and also planning logistics and storage of the boxes. I found it difficult to be the person who made the decision as to whether these people would receive ShelterBoxes or not. I knew I’d make the right decision, but it was hard when so many people needed our help. I wish I could’ve helped everyone.
‘Denise was due to join me after a few days and I I couldn’t wait. Not having a second person there for help and support was tough particularly at the end of the day when you need to talk through some of the devastating sites you‘d seen.
‘The day before Denise was due to join me, the earthquake hit Chile. Peru was now on a tsunami alert. I was okay as I was at 8000ft but my team mates were both on the coast. Denise couldn’t fly to me as the airports were inundated. This was a really stressful time but in the face of trouble I’m always able to keep my sense of humour.
‘When Denise finally joined me I had made decisions on the three villages that were most in need. But within a disaster zone things change daily. We heard about a village, Taray, which had been struck by a landslide. We immediately set about trying to get there.
The below video is Jodie in Lucra, Peru with a tent set up for a 90-year old man and his family:
‘The road was blocked by another landslide. We met up with the Cusco army and they had a bus on the other side, so we climbed the rubble and got a lift with them. After about 20 minutes the bus broke down and so we began the long walk to Taray. I contacted HQ to give them our exact location and would make the necessary arrangements if we were unable to make it back to our base that night. Carrying around your 24hr emergency bag makes you feel all the safer!
‘We managed to get a lift with a tuk-tuk for the final leg of our journey. We were the first NGO on site, the village had been destroyed. We saw the room where people had been laid to rest. The people and families were distraught. Denise and I continued with the task at hand, doing everything we’d been trained to do. It was so hard and upsetting but I became detached so I could continue my work.
‘We spoke to the people and listened to their stories. They were harrowing and horrific. Shelterbox would help these people start to rebuild their lives but not here, the village was a death trap, more rain and the same would happen again. With help of the army we found a nearby village in Pisac that had a large school compound, not in use but it did have water, toilets and showers.
‘The next day we set off on a two hour journey to Pisac to set up the IDP camp with help from the army. We’d been there a couple of hours when the worst screaming I’ve ever heard began
‘The army dropped everything and ran. There was another landslide and we could see it all happening before our eyes. After what seemed like ages, there was deathly silence. It was even worse than the screaming. Then there was the sound of church bells.
By any means
'We were surrounded by hills and didn’t know if the slide would have a knock on effect and put us right in the middle of this disaster. It was too dangerous to drive out of Pisac. We decided to secure the site and continue to put up tents, whilst watching out for landslides. I kept a close eye on the people gathering outside. They were watching the river, looking out for people being brought down by the landslide.
'We’d done everything we could and now had to make the decision whether we stay in Pisac for the night or make the drive back to base. We decided to make the journey back as we didn’t feel safe once we started losing light. We told the people that we would be back to finish their homes the next day.The journey home was one of the longest ever. I was completely exhausted by the day’s events.
‘The next day we went back to finish the camp. Seeing where the landslide was and knowing that 10 people had died was difficult but we continued with our work and by the end of the day we gave 44 families shelter, comfort and warmth. All these people were completely overwhelmed and happy.
‘My first deployment was hard, exhausting, fun, challenging, upsetting, frustrating, dangerous, rewarding and satisfying. I know this is what I want to do with my life; to help people at such an unbelievably devastating time.
‘I looked for so long to find a charity that just felt right and I have found it with ShelterBox. Words can’t describe the impact ShelterBox has on people’s lives.’
The below photos are from the Peru deployment:
