Press release – July 19, 2024
- Interviews available with ShelterBox team in Caribbean
- Tens of thousands of people left without shelter
Santa Barbara – ShelterBox response team workers will deliver aid to displaced people on the Grenada islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique where most buildings, including homes and schools, have been damaged or destroyed. ShelterBox will send in life-saving supplies already stored in the region, including emergency relief tents, cooking sets, solar lights and mosquito nets.
“ShelterBox is uniquely positioned to help provide emergency shelter and household support to communities in the Caribbean displaced by Hurricane Beryl” said ShelterBox USA President Kerri Murray. “We have local partnerships, like Rotary, in the region and shelter aid prepositioned in our Panama warehouse which we will deploy in our initial response phases.”
The logistics are challenging with our assessment team and local Rotary partners relaying there is no power, water, or food, but ShelterBox has experience in the region including the response in 2017 to Hurricane Irma, a category 5 storm so powerful few buildings could withstand it. Now in Grenada on the Islands of Petite Martinique and Carriacou, people are sleeping in what’s left of the structures or out in the open. Carriacou Island was flattened in just 30 minutes.
Because of stagnant water on the islands, there’s high risk of disease including dengue fever carried by mosquitos, so the mosquito nets will help families protect themselves. When there is no power, solar lights can be life changing. Cooking sets will mean people can cook and share a hot meal together. This can bring comfort and a sense of routine during uncertainty. Training will be provided to local communities on how to erect the durable and movable tents and ensure the shelters last as long as possible.
All of those vital supplies reach strategic locations around the world through a variety of ShelterBox initiatives, including the current Stock the Box campaign. Supporters make a difference by helping provide that essential aid and hope. https://www.shelterboxusa.org/
Please credit Sonya Alleyne for photos.
ABOUT SHELERBOX
ShelterBox has helped nearly three million people worldwide since its founding in 2000, is rated 100% on Charity Navigator and was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. President Kerri Murray is available for interviews on Beryl, Gaza and other disaster responses.
Media Contact: Paul Vercammen
323-646-4315
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