July – September 2007: Royal visit, Pakistan & Nepal floods, help for 500,000, Peru earthquake, Nicaragua and Jamaica hurricane, and Ghana floods.

ShelterBoxes for Jamaica's hurricane victims

25th September - Jamaica: A consignment of 25 ShelterBoxes will arrive in the capital Kingston tomorrow following an appeal for help from the Rotary Club of May Pen in Jamaica.

The southern area of Jamaica was badly damaged by Hurricane Dean last month and a number of families were left homeless. The boxes will be distributed by local Rotarians.

Help for flood victims in Africa

21st September - Ghana: ShelterBox has sent a consignment of 100 boxes to Ghana following the severe flooding that has affected the north of the country.

The boxes are being flown to the capital Accra and will then be taken by road to Tamale in the affected area. The deployment is a joint initiative with the Salvation Army.

Discover more about SRT deployments

19th September - Cornwall: A new section has been added to the website giving an insight into how our ShelterBox Response Teams (SRTs) work in the field. Click here to read about the experiences of some of the volunteers who have been out on deployment.

Dutch Navy delivers ShelterBoxes to Nicaragua

11th September - Nicaragua: The Dutch Navy has stepped in to deliver help from ShelterBox to hurricane victims in Nicaragua. The unusual partnership has seen aid for around 2,000 people delivered to coastal communities devastated when Hurricane Felix hit on Tuesday 4th September.

Winds of up to 160mph killed more than 150 people and left thousands homeless after they hit Nicaragua’s north-eastern coastline. The Category Five storm destroyed homes, trees and crops, while torrential rain is also reported to have destroyed as many as half the houses in the town of Puerto Cabezas.

ShelterBox founder and chief executive Tom Henderson explained: “We’ve been helping the Royal Navy with disaster planning exercises at HMS Drake near Plymouth. One exercise involved a Dutch ship on its way to the West Indies and the commanding officer was highly impressed with the boxes and contents.”

“We gave them five boxes there and then but, after the Dutch ship reached the Antilles, I had a phone call from their senior officer in the West Indies asking for 200. We knew the hurricane season was coming so flew them out ready.”

 

An officer from the Van Nes said: “As every house in the area is damaged and most houses don't have a roof anymore, the people were very grateful for a roof over their head.”

Tom Henderson added: “We’re now going to be restocking the Dutch fleet in the West Indies with more boxes. The hurricane season isn't over until December and although Felix’s arrival was unprecedented we have to be ready for anything.”

Thousands still wait for help in Peru

10th September - Peru: Members of a ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) working in Peru report that more help is urgently needed for the victims of last month's earthquake.

Wayne Robinson, an SRT member from the US, visited the area of Chinchu to help assess the scale of the disaster and the need for assistance. He reports: "The homes in the area suffered massive destruction with entire streets of homes entirely destroyed. Many others are not fit or safe to occupy.

  

"Our eyes have been opened as to what an earthquake can do. It is unbelieveable! Numerous homes just sunk down into the soft sandy ground as walls and ceilings crumbled."

 So far, ShelterBox has sent boxes containing enough aid for 2,000 people to Peru and is planning on delivering sending more boxes this week. However, the SRT members say much more help is needed. Team leader Lasse Petersen said: "The scale of disaster warrants a substantially bigger international response. We hardly see signs of much western aid and have yet to bump into another western aid worker. It is absolutely an appalling tragedy to see a disaster of this magnitude and barely a sign of aid."

   

Wayne Robinson added: "The amount of people displaced will use up what we have and many others will still be in the same position of inadequate shelter. Our appeal to ShelterBox supporters and others would be to contact as many folks as possible and ask for donations to help out."

DHL delivers aid for Nepal

30th August - Nepal: Emergency aid for up to 2,000 flood victims has been delivered free to Nepal thanks to international logistics company DHL.

The company – the logistics division of Deutsche Post World Net – is supporting ShelterBox's work to assist families left homeless by recent monsoon floods that have destroyed an estimated 70,000 homes.

A consignment of 200 ShelterBoxes containing tents and other survival equipment was flown to Kathmandu courtesy of DHL and is now being distributed by a volunteer team in partnership with the Nepal Red Cross and other local agencies.

Help on the way to Peru

30th August - Peru: Following the recent earthquake and an appeal by the Peruvian government, ShelterBox is sending help for 2,000 people.

Around 200,000 victims were left homeless by the quake, which also left more than 500 dead and 1,300 injured after it struck on 15th August. One of the worst affected areas is the Ica region and a ShelterBox Response Team dispatched to oversee the distribution of aid will be working with the Rotary Club of Ica.

Peru's civil defence agency has said it desperately needs at least 40,000 tents, and that its emergency stock of had been almost used up during a recent cold snap.

Aid carried across  monsoon rivers to reach flood victims

22nd August - Nepal: After being trapped for weeks by swollen rivers, aid from ShelterBox has reached hundreds of families cut off by the monsoon floods in a remote corner of Nepal.

The aid included the box that brings the total number of people now helped by Shelterbox to an estimated 500,000. That box was delivered to Jagadeo Argairiya (pictured below right), who has a family of 10, including five young children.

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) – including Cornish firefighter Steve Brown, photographer Mark Pearson and US volunteer Dave Eby – travelled with the aid to oversee its distribution and ensure it got to those people most in need of help.

The team had previously joined forces with the Nepal Red Cross, which estimates 97 people have now been killed by floods and landslides across the country and around 363,000 people affected by the disaster, with an estimated 42,000 houses completely or partially destroyed.

Mark Pearson said: “After a reconnaissance mission with the Red Cross on Sunday, we identified one of the worst hit areas. Around 300 families were left stranded after their homes were destroyed in the floods and they were cut off by three swollen rivers. They’d received a food drop four weeks ago and about 60 tarpaulins but that was the only help until we arrived.”

 

He added: “Getting aid to these families was a major operation. Roads from the main town of Jonakapur are mainly impassable – our 4WD Land Cruiser got stuck and we had to transfer all the boxes to tractors. Then, after demonstrating the tents and other equipment on the river bank, villagers had to carry everything on their heads back across a river to where their homes had once been.”

“Apart from the problems caused by the flood, this is a dangerous area in which to work. There are various armed groups and tension is high after one man from the hills was shot a couple of days ago. There’s a curfew in place and the only organisation that can operate here freely is the Red Cross so we’re delighted to have teamed up with them.”

Royal Patron for ShelterBox

20th August - Helston: It has been announced today that The Duchess of Cornwall is to become President of ShelterBox.

The announcement follows a Royal visit in July when The Duchess toured ShelterBox’s premises in Helston and met many of the volunteers who make the charity’s work possible.

ShelterBox founder and chief executive Tom Henderson said:“The fact that The Duchess of Cornwall has now recognised the value of our work to the extent that she has agreed to become President of ShelterBox is a superb accolade.”

ShelterBox was set up by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard and is now believed to be the largest club project in the history of Rotary - having a Patron from the British Royal Family is also thought to be a first for any Rotary club or project.

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall talks to ShelterBox operations manager George Armstrong on her recent visit to Helston.

First boxes reach flood victims in Nepal

17th August - Nepal: The first aid sent to help victims of the monsoon floods in Nepal is now starting to reach affected communities. A ShelterBox Response Team is working with the Women's Foundation of Nepal and the Nepal Red Cross to oversee the distribution of help for an initial 4,000 people.

Latest figures from the Nepal Red Cross are that 97 people have been killed by floods and landslides and around 363,000 people affected by the disaster with an estimated 42,000 houses completely or partially destroyed. Another 200 ShelterBoxes are due to be sent to Nepal next week.

Continuing work in Pakistan

17th August - Pakistan: A further 400 ShelterBoxes are also now on their way to Karachi as part of ongoing work to assist victims of recent floods. ShelterBox is continuing to provide aid to the region in partnership with the District Governor and clubs of Rotary District 3270.

This latest consignment will mean that ShelterBox has sent aid for up to 14,000 people to Pakistan since the country was hit by Cyclone Yemyin.

Aid for half a million disaster victims

 

7th August - Helston: ShelterBox reaches a major milestone this week – the provision of aid for half a million disaster victims worldwide.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 8th August), the charity is packing 200 ShelterBoxes to go to help victims of the monsoon floods in Nepal – and the family receiving one of those boxes will bring the total helped by the charity to an estimated 500,000 people.

ShelterBox founder and chief executive Tom Henderson said: “Since we began operations in January 2001, ShelterBox has worked in 33 countries worldwide and we’ve responded to more than 50 different emergencies, from floods to earthquakes and wars to hurricanes.

“Our boxes and the tents they contain have delivered new hope to families around the world who have seen their homes and communities utterly destroyed. That achievement has only been possible due to the generosity of the UK public and those people around the world who have supported our work.”

 

Afghanistan 2001: Boxes arrive on one of the first ShelterBox deployments.

During 2007 alone ShelterBox has sent aid to victims of disasters in Kenya, Bolivia, the Solomons, Pakistan and now Nepal.

Tom Henderson added: “Our motto is to do the most for those in most need. We select the box contents very carefully and only send material that is both suitable for the conditions and capable of serving its purpose for at least six months.

 

“We believe we set a benchmark for aid operations and the quality of what we do can be demonstrated by the fact that the UN has previously asked for 10,000 of our boxes for Sudan alone.”

The link with the worldwide Rotary network has also proved a vital asset in the ShelterBox success story. Not only have Rotary clubs donated about half of the £15 million raised to date but they also provide a valuable support and information network when the charity's volunteers deliver aid in the field.

 

 

Appeal for cyclone victims

12th July - Pakistan: ShelterBox is making an appeal for more funds so that the charity can send further aid to Pakistan.

In the Turbat area of Balochistan alone it is estimated that there are 70,000 people homeless. ShelterBox has so far sent enough tents for more than 8,000 people.

It is planned to send another consignment of boxes but ShelterBox needs donations in order to replenish its stocks.

Boxes begin to reach Balochistan

10th July - Pakistan: The first ShelterBoxes have now begun to reach victims of flooding in Balochistan. The images below were taken by Mark Pearson in Turbat, one of the worst affected areas:

Thousands of families have been struggling to find shelter beneath makeshift shelters after losing everything to the floods.

The first ShelterBoxes arrived today by truck after a long and difficult journey involving washed out roads and bridges.

Pictured above: local children help ShelterBox Response Team member Raul Fernandez carry a box to its destination.

Although aid from ShelterBox is now reaching the area much more help is needed. At present, the charity is the only outside agency delivering aid on the ground.

More help desperately needed for cyclone victims

9th July - Pakistan: Huge numbers of people left homeless following storms that swept southern Pakistan are still in desperate need of shelter.

The ShelterBox Response Team now in Pakistan reports that more than 150,000 people in Balochistan alone are living in makeshift shelters that offer little protection from torrential rain and heat that can reach 50 degrees C.

Photographer Mark Pearson has been travelling with a UN emergency planning team to assess the damage wreaked by Cyclone Yemyin and the unusually extreme monsoon rains that have swept much of South East Asia. He said: “One of the worst areas is around Turbat in Balochistan. The region normally gets an annual rainfall of around 100mm but they had 178mm falling in 24 hours.”

More than 20 villages were swept away when normally dry riverbeds turned into raging torrents and a local dam was unable to contain the huge volume of water.

It is estimated around 75,000 people have been left homeless just in the Turbat district. The Pakistani army is setting up tented camps for flood victims but is struggling to cope with the sheer number of tents needed.

Mark added: “Some people are finding shelter in schools and other public buildings but most are living out in the open with just bamboo shelters covered with blankets for protection. These shelters aren’t waterproof and more rain is expected. All their possessions are under six feet of mud and the temperatures by lunchtime are up to 50 degrees C."

The storms associated with the cyclone also washed away hundreds of houses around Gwadar on the Arabian Sea coast. So far, 420 ShelterBoxes have arrived in Pakistan and the first 100 have now reached Turbat. Another 200 - each containing two tents - are being packed today.

Royal visitor for ShelterBox HQ

5th July - Cornwall: The Duchess of Cornwall paid an official visit to ShelterBox's headquarters at Helston, where she toured the premises, met volunteers who work in the warehouse and talked to members of the ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) who have helped deploy boxes in the field.

One volunteer, Lynn Smith from Helston, said: "The Duchess said it was a fantastic organisation. She said she did not realise how much we sent out and how important it was to people who have lost their homes."

Last autumn, while on an official visit to Pakistan with the Prince of Wales, the Duchess met SRT members who were delivering aid to earthquake victims.