Kiwi First Responder Deploys to the Philippines

Three popular central islands in the Philippines have been shaken by a powerful earthquake that hit early on Tuesday morning during a national public holiday.

The 7.2-magnitude earthquake smashed the central island of Bohol on Tuesday morning, ripping apart bridges, tearing down centuries-old churches and triggering landslides that engulfed entire homes.

The number of people confirmed killed in Bohol and neighboring islands climbed from 93 on Tuesday to 151 yesterday as the full scale of the disaster became clear.

ShelterBox Operations Coordinator Phil Duloy has been monitoring the disaster:

‘There was a tsunami alert but luckily this came to nothing. A ShelterBox Response Team has now been deployed into the area and Ashburton man Arnold Kelly, a first responder with ShelterBox New Zealand leaves today and will join the team on Saturday.’

Local priest Father Tomas Balakayo said, “We’re trying our best to keep our hopes up, but in this desperate situation there is nothing much we can do beyond giving comforting words.”

There are warnings of an increase in fatalities as search and rescue operations continue with the full extent of the damage yet to be assessed.

Relief has been expressed that the disaster happened on a public holiday as this meant there were fewer people than usual in many of the major buildings that have suffered severe damage.

Aftershocks continue
The tremor triggered power outages in parts of Bohol, Cebu and neighbouring areas, according to the country’s national disaster management agency. Strong aftershocks still continue.

ShelterBox aid is already prepositioned in the City of Clarke, including disaster relief tents as well as other vital equipment to enable a speedy response if a need is found.

About Shelterbox
ShelterBox has provided shelter, warmth and dignity to disaster survivors following more than 200 disasters in over 90 countries worldwide. The charity has provided shelter for more than 130,000 families in desperate need. Supported by Rotary International, ShelterBox instantly responds to earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunami or conflict by delivering boxes of aid and other vital 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 New Zealand is administered by the Rotary Club of Mosgiel Charitable Trust based in Mosgiel, New Zealand and its goal is to help 50,000 each year.

Further information on the work of ShelterBox can be found here: www.shelterbox.org.nz

ENDS

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