Santo Domingo.– A response team from ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity based in the UK and USA sponspored by Rotary clubs worldwide, will arrive in Las Americas Iternational Airport today to drive to Haiti to deliver disaster relief.

There are 1,000 boxes on the way to Port-au-Prince that will immediately house 10,000 earthquake victims. Each box contains a disaster relief tent that houses 10 people, a stove, blankets and other essential items.

On Friday 15 January, the Response Team will meet the first 200 boxes at the Port-au-Prince airport. Rotary Club disaster relief coordinator for Haiti, Dr. Claude Suréna, president of the Haitian Medical Association, will lead the efforts of Haiti's 16 Rotary clubs with ShelterBox to ensure that this relief will be deployed effectively to the thousands homeless in need.

Dr. Suréna is currently sheltering more than 100 victims in his partially-damaged home in Port-au-Prince.

ShelterBox has extensive experience delivering humantarian aid to major disasters including Haiti's 2008 hurricane, Katrina and the Tsunami. The Dominican Republic and Haiti are home to 82 Rotary clubs with nearly 2,000 members.

"We’re doing everything we can to ensure immediate aid reaches the people of Haiti. The process of getting our team on the ground is well under way. We were in Haiti eighteen months ago, delivering aid after a series of hurricanes left thousands homeless," ShelterBox General Manager Lasse Petersen said.

"We’ll now be working closely with our contacts on the ground in the country to make sure we get aid to the people who need it most during the current crisis. Our thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by this disaster," Petersen added.

Written by :

Eric R. Lewis