Disaster Relief Charity En Route to Typhoon-hit Philippines
Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) August 15, 2013 -- International disaster relief organization, ShelterBox, is en route to the Philippines where a powerful typhoon has left hundreds homeless in the main northern island of Luzon.
ShelterBox provides humanitarian aid—emergency tented shelter and other supplies, such as stoves, blankets and water purification units, among other tools—to help families rebuild their lives after losing their homes and possessions following a disaster such as earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or conflict.
Typhoon Utor made landfall earlier this week with winds reaching 115 mph. Agriculture and infrastructure has been severely damaged, leaving roads inaccessible and affecting communication and electricity services in the area.
ShelterBox Response Team member, Steve Gibson, of Boulder, Colo., is expected to arrive with his team in the capital of Manila late Thursday evening. The team will immediately begin working to identify needs for shelter and other non-food items within the community.
"Coming from Boulder, I’m continually struck by how isolated we can be," Gibson said. "Here we have been completely unaware of mass suffering, like this typhoon, as it’s not in the media."
"Being deployed to assist the communities that have lost everything not only provides a chance to help bring shelter and dignity to the survivors,” Gibson said. “It’s a reminder of just how fortunate those of us who read the news, rather than live it, really are."
ShelterBox USA has been responding to the Syrian refugee crisis since last October, providing emergency tented shelter and other essential equipment to refugee families living in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, as well as those displaced within Syria’s borders. For the latest on this and other ShelterBox deployments, visit http://www.shelterboxusa.org/news .
ABOUT SHELTERBOX
Since 2000, ShelterBox has provided shelter, warmth and dignity following more than 200 disasters in over 85 countries. ShelterBox instantly responds to earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or conflict by delivering boxes of aid and other supplies. Each iconic green ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, stove, blankets and water filtration system, among other tools for survival. ShelterBox’s American affiliate, ShelterBox USA, is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. Individual tax-deductible donations to ShelterBox USA can be made at http://www.shelterboxusa.org or 941-907-6036.
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Erin Holdgate, ShelterBox USA, +1 (941) 907-6036 100, [email protected]
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