Aid on the Way for Small Chilean Communities

ShelterBox is distributing disaster relief tents and life-saving supplies for up to 10,000 earthquake survivors in Chile.

Around 1,000 ShelterBoxes are arriving in the capital Santiago this weekend where they will be met by two ShelterBox Response Teams (SRT) and delivered to those who lost their homes in the devastating 8.8 magnitude quake.

With strong aftershocks still a regular occurrence nearly a fortnight after the disaster, ShelterBox workers on the ground have been assessing areas of greatest need in the Talca region, north of the worst-affected city, Concepcion.

Incoming Team Leader and ShelterBox Operations Coordinator Jessica Stanton said: ‘We’ll be arriving at the same time as 1,000 ShelterBoxes arrive so we’ll have our work cut out distributing the tents and supplies.

‘The Chilean government and other agencies have been providing emergency shelter in Concepcion, the city closest to the quake’s epicentre, and to areas along the coast which were hit by a tsunami.

‘But we’re hearing reports that more inland, rural communities near Talca are not getting any support despite people’s homes being destroyed by the earthquake. We’re looking to put tents up close to people’s homesteads so they can stay where they are under cover while starting to rebuild their lives and homes.’

The 1,000 ShelterBoxes – providing enough aid for up to 10,000 people - have come from prepositioned stock in Melbourne, Singapore and Dubai as well as from ShelterBox HQ in the UK. ShelterBox has a network of strategic locations around the globe where boxes are stored to allow a speedy response to disasters wherever they strike.

On arrival in Santiago the boxes will be transported by road to Talca with help from shipping company DHL. SRT member Tom Lay said: ‘There is massive damage in the region of Talca and a lot of buildings are just gone. We’ve identified rural communities in the towns of Curepto, Villa Prat and Curico which were hit by the quake and suffered devastation, but are at the bottom of the list in terms of getting aid, so we’re making sure these communities get emergency shelter as quickly as possible.

‘The aftershocks we’ve felt have been really strong and we had to evacuate the building we were in. We can’t wait for the boxes to arrive and as soon as they do we’ll be distributing them.’