On Saturday morning at 08.30 (local Haiti time) Western Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, causing 'enormous damage'. Over the past 2 days, the death toll has risen to more than 1,300, with an estimated 8,000 homes damaged or destroyed and thousands of families displaced. The search and rescue efforts to find survivors is the priority right now, but then will come the need for shelter for those displaced.
The devastation could also soon worsen as Haitians are now bracing for Tropical Depression Grace, which is predicted to reach Haiti tonight, and could bring heavy rain, flooding, and landslides. Many will be facing these conditions without a roof over their head.
ShelterBox is deploying an operations team to the region. Our emergency response team will assess damage reports, understand from communities what they need, and work on the challenging logistics of delivering aid during a pandemic. We are also in active discussions with local partners in Haiti, including Rotary International, Habitat for Humanity, and the IFRC, to understand the shelter needs and how ShelterBox can best respond to help displaced families.
We think there will be significant need for emergency shelter and are currently working on plans for the significant logistical and access challenges of working in an area where buildings have been reduced to rubble.
As always ShelterBox is extremely grateful for the funds raised through Rotary in support of the valued partnership with ShelterBox as RI’s global partner in disaster aid.
In this respect we currently have an urgent appeal in place to support the crisis in Haiti and would be most grateful if you could bring this appeal to the clubs within your district in the hope that they may be able to donate at this important time.
Regular updates are being distributed through our ShelterBox Newsletters and our Facebook site.