notes: ShelterBox responds to New Zealand’s ‘darkest day’ Source: ShelterBox Date: 22 Feb 2011 Tuesday, February 22, 2011 International disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, has said it stands ready to respond following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch today. At least 65 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the disaster. A ShelterBox Response Team is already on the ground. ShelterBox New Zealand Response Team members Walter van der Kley, Arnold Kelly and Lyndon Tamblyn have been mobilised to Christchurch and are already in the area working with the authorities and assessing the need. From downtown Christchurch, Walter van der Kley reported witnessing extensive damage and experiencing several aftershocks. Emergency shelters have been erected by authorities but more are expected to be needed. Lyndon Tamblyn, volunteer ShelterBox Response Team member, said: "We're expecting the death toll to rise. There are many people still missing. It's being called the darkest day in our history. We're in shock - it's something you don't expect to see in your own country." John Leach, ShelterBox Head of Operations, said: "In this early phase of the disaster the extent of emergency shelter requirements is unclear. Any level of need will emerge in the next 24 hours." Public donations are vital to ShelterBox's continuing work. To make a donation please ring +44 (0)300 0300 500 or go to www.shelterbox.org to donate online and get the latest updates on our response to disasters around the world. -> FROM THE SITE: On 22 February a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch causing significant loss of life, casualties and damage to infrastructure. A ShelterBox Response Team were soon at the scene and have been working with local authorities today to assess the need for emergency shelter and equipment. ShelterBox New Zealand Director, Lindsay Thorburn, was having lunch on the outskirts of Christchurch when the earthquake struck. He says he was ‘lucky’ to be out of the city centre. ‘I was in the café about 2kms out of the town centre when the quake hit. It was horrific, plates of food cups of coffee smashing and flying all around me. People cut and bleeding everywhere, luckily I was not one of them. For the next 5 hours I helped those who were in most need. ‘After the quake I stayed with a friend in Christchurch. His house was one of the lucky ones to survive the tremors but the inside has been trashed. I found him and his family just sitting amongst their broken furniture, glasses, TV's, computers and other house hold items too dazed to know where to start or what to do first. People are just in absolute shock. ‘All day I’ve seen people crying outside their homes too frightened to re-enter with a look of devastation on their faces. The roads were in gridlock and no public transport was operating so people were walking home dazed and confused. ‘The aftershocks are still coming thick and fast and I really feel for all those still caught up in the rubble without water or power. I feel fortunate to be unscathed and to have been able to make it out of Christchurch alive.’ ShelterBox responds 120 ShelterBoxes from Australia will arrive in New Zealand shortly and a further 200 tents are being air-freighted from the UK. John Leach, Head of Operations at ShelterBox, said: ‘It’s difficult during the early stages of a disaster such as an earthquake to fully assess the need for our aid. The Christchurch quake has caused extensive damage to the area’s buildings and infrastructure so we are preparing to respond with whatever the authorities require. ------------------------------ FROM RELIEF WEB: ShelterBox responds to New Zealand’s ‘darkest day’ Source: ShelterBox Date: 22 Feb 2011 Tuesday, February 22, 2011 International disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, has said it stands ready to respond following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch today. At least 65 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the disaster. A ShelterBox Response Team is already on the ground. ShelterBox New Zealand Response Team members Walter van der Kley, Arnold Kelly and Lyndon Tamblyn have been mobilised to Christchurch and are already in the area working with the authorities and assessing the need. From downtown Christchurch, Walter van der Kley reported witnessing extensive damage and experiencing several aftershocks. Emergency shelters have been erected by authorities but more are expected to be needed. Lyndon Tamblyn, volunteer ShelterBox Response Team member, said: "We're expecting the death toll to rise. There are many people still missing. It's being called the darkest day in our history. We're in shock - it's something you don't expect to see in your own country." John Leach, ShelterBox Head of Operations, said: "In this early phase of the disaster the extent of emergency shelter requirements is unclear. Any level of need will emerge in the next 24 hours." Public donations are vital to ShelterBox's continuing work. To make a donation please ring +44 (0)300 0300 500 or go to www.shelterbox.org to donate online and get the latest updates on our response to disasters around the world.
mission: ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the world who are affected by disasters. In ten short years ShelterBox have responded to earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, typhoons and conflict, delivering lifesaving aid to families across the globe at a time when they need it the most. ShelterBox aims to help the areas where the need is greatest by providing shelter, warmth, comfort and dignity to families in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Each big, green ShelterBox is tailored to every disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water purification and storage equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children's activity pack and other vital items. From the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, there is no disaster too big or too small for ShelterBox. Simply put, if there is an unmet need for emergency shelter, the charity will do everything in its power to meet that need. ShelterBox relies entirely on public donations and could not operate without the generosity of people the world over. A box can be sponsored for £590 – this takes into account the costs of all materials, packing, storage, transport worldwide and delivery to families most in need at a time of disaster by a team of highly trained volunteers. Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for the people who need it most on every continent. For all the latest information on ShelterBox's work around the world, including ways you can help, please visit www.shelterbox.org. -> ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the world who are affected by disasters. In ten short years ShelterBox have responded to earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, typhoons and conflict, delivering lifesaving aid to families across the globe at a time when they need it the most. ShelterBox aims to help the areas where the need is greatest by providing shelter, warmth, comfort and dignity to families in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Each big, green ShelterBox is tailored to every disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water purification and storage equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children's activity pack and other vital items. From the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, there is no disaster too big or too small for ShelterBox. Simply put, if there is an unmet need for emergency shelter, the charity will do everything in its power to meet that need. ShelterBox relies entirely on public donations and could not operate without the generosity of people the world over. A box can be sponsored for £590 – this takes into account the costs of all materials, packing, storage, transport worldwide and delivery to families most in need at a time of disaster by a team of highly trained volunteers. Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for the people who need it most on every continent. For all the latest information on ShelterBox's work around the world, including ways you can help, please visit www.shelterbox.org.

main_phone: -> +44 (0)300 0300 500
website: -> http://www.shelterbox.org/
mission: ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the world who are affected by disasters. In ten short years ShelterBox have responded to earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, typhoons and conflict, delivering lifesaving aid to families across the globe at a time when they need it the most. ShelterBox aims to help the areas where the need is greatest by providing shelter, warmth, comfort and dignity to families in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Each big, green ShelterBox is tailored to every disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water purification and storage equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children's activity pack and other vital items. From the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, there is no disaster too big or too small for ShelterBox. Simply put, if there is an unmet need for emergency shelter, the charity will do everything in its power to meet that need. ShelterBox relies entirely on public donations and could not operate without the generosity of people the world over. A box can be sponsored for £590 – this takes into account the costs of all materials, packing, storage, transport worldwide and delivery to families most in need at a time of disaster by a team of highly trained volunteers. Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for the people who need it most on every continent. For all the latest information on ShelterBox's work around the world, including ways you can help, please visit www.shelterbox.org. -> ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter and life-saving supplies to families around the world who are affected by disasters. In ten short years ShelterBox have responded to earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, typhoons and conflict, delivering lifesaving aid to families across the globe at a time when they need it the most. ShelterBox aims to help the areas where the need is greatest by providing shelter, warmth, comfort and dignity to families in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Each big, green ShelterBox is tailored to every disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water purification and storage equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children's activity pack and other vital items. From the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, there is no disaster too big or too small for ShelterBox. Simply put, if there is an unmet need for emergency shelter, the charity will do everything in its power to meet that need. ShelterBox relies entirely on public donations and could not operate without the generosity of people the world over. A box can be sponsored for £590 – this takes into account the costs of all materials, packing, storage, transport worldwide and delivery to families most in need at a time of disaster by a team of highly trained volunteers. Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for the people who need it most on every continent. For all the latest information on ShelterBox's work around the world, including ways you can help, please visit www.shelterbox.org.