Dave Eby and Wayne Robinson with the ShelterBox Response Team offload ShelterBoxes in Port Au Prince on Jan. 18, 2010 (Mark Pearson)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

providing pieces essential to survival

ShelterBox preparing response in wake of devastating Haiti earthquake

Aug 14, 2021 | 12:28 PM

Editor’s note: Images in this story may be triggering.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the small Caribbean nation of Haiti Saturday morning (Aug. 14).

The U.S. Geological Survey says to expect many fatalities and widespread devastation.

The quake’s epicentre was 125 kilometres west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, and at an estimated 10 kilometres deep. Several strong aftershocks have also been felt, keeping Haitians on edge. Lesser damage has also been reported in surrounding nations, most notably Jamaica and Cuba.

Meantime, Haiti is expected to feel the effects of Tropical Storm Grace as soon as late Monday or early Tuesday.

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In the disaster’s wake, ShelterBox and ShelterBox Canada, which have been around for over two decades, are already preparing to provide relief, if it is needed.

According to ShelterBox Canada Executive Director Stephanie Christensen, the organization specializes in providing emergency shelter and basic supplies.

“We have a few different types available to make sure we’re providing the best thing for the local context. A box might include tarps, tools, or other building materials people can use to repair damaged homes. We also have very robust types of tents for many different weather situations if building materials aren’t available,” she says.

Seen here are robust tents brought in by ShelterBox to the streets of Haiti, which were devastated by a 7.0 earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. (ShelterBox.org)

“We can also provide solar lights, cooking equipment, water purification tools, mosquito nets, and other supplies that allow people to not only survive, but start the recovery process.”

ShelterBox has pre-positioned hubs around the world, in this case the closest being in Panama, where kits are ready to go, Christensen explains.

“We know every community is different, each disaster is different, and every response has to be different. It’s never a one-size-fits-all.”

ShelterBox was in Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake that struck the country on Jan. 12, 2010, killing anywhere from 160,000 to 300,000 people, while injuring hundreds of thousands more. The organization helped 28,000 Haitian families that year.

It was also in Haiti following two hurricanes pre-2010, and again after Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

“We do have contacts there and our logistics team is very good at getting into places when we need to, but it is definitely a challenge,” Christensen says. “By sending aid to these pre-positioned hubs, we can ship it cheaper and slower ahead of time, and then get it really quickly to where it needs to go without huge costs.”

ShelterBox is currently providing relief to people in eight nations around the world, including Cameroon and Ethiopia, among others.

Monetary donations are distributed to all of ShelterBox’s ongoing efforts, but Christensen notes that with the devastation in Haiti likely to be extreme, a large portion of incoming donations will end up there.

“Every dollar goes to providing those basic supplies, and while we don’t take donations for specific disasters, what I always tell people is that they can be assured that when they give, it will go to a family who’s lost their home, and you’re making an incredibly huge difference for them,” she says.

Destruction in Haiti on Jan. 17, 2010, five days after a 7.0 earthquake. The quake on Aug. 14, 2021 is unofficially being reported as bigger than that. (Mark Pearson)

“If we did take donations for specific disasters, we’d potentially get a tonne for Haiti that we just couldn’t use, and it would mean that the disaster which happens tomorrow wouldn’t get that aid. I think that’s what sets ShelterBox apart.”

ShelterBox also provides on the ground training, Christensen adds.

“Shelter is a basic human right, and it is so important for survival, especially in an earthquake context where so many home are destroyed.”

ShelterBox works closely around the world with Rotary and Habitat for Humanity.

To make a donation, visit ShelterBoxCanada.org.

RELATED: Canada ‘standing ready’ to help Haiti after 7.2 magnitude earthquake: Trudeau

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