Rotary and ShelterBox in Haiti
Rotary and ShelterBox on the ground in Haiti
Even as parts of Haiti were still recovering from a catastrophic 2010 earthquake, Hurricane Matthew tore through the impoverished island country Tuesday, leaving hundreds dead and many more homeless.
The Category 4 storm has affected an estimated 330,000 people in Haiti, including 6,400 who have been moved to temporary shelters. Extensive damage to main bridges and other transportation networks have left some areas cut off and vulnerable. Torrential rains have resulted in flooding and landslides. And contaminated water supplies threaten to lead to a surge in cholera cases and other waterborne illnesses.
A ShelterBox response team of volunteers from Canada, England, New Zealand, and the United States traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, Friday to assess the damage and decide how best to help people. ShelterBox, an independent charity, is Rotary's project partner for disaster relief.
ShelterBox has limited supplies available in Haiti and is working with the Dutch navy to bring more from nearby storage sites. The charity is also exploring a partnership with ACTED, a French nongovernmental aid agency, which ShelterBox has worked with in the past.
"We are exploring every option to get aid to Haiti as quickly as possible," says Chris Warham, chief executive of ShelterBox. "Working in partnership could give us more flexibility and capacity to reach isolated communities in the country."
With wind speeds reaching 155 miles per hour, Hurricane Matthew is considered the worst storm to make landfall in Haiti in more than 50 years.