PRESS RELEASE: Interview Availability for Haiti 2021 Earthquakes

Headline: International Disaster Relief Organisation ShelterBox Sending a Team to the Region, as Tropical Storm Grace Poses Additional Threat

Interview Availability: ShelterBox Australia CEO, Mike Greenslade is available for interviews related to Saturday’s 7.2 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks in Haiti. As a provider of emergency shelter after disaster and conflict, ShelterBox has responded to major disasters 5 different times in Haiti in the past, helping families rebuild their lives and livelihoods after disaster. Mike has firsthand experience of responding in Haiti, having deployed there in 2010 following the devastating earthquake.

Topic: ShelterBox is working to understand the full extent of the damage caused by Saturday’s quakes. We think there will be a significant need for emergency shelter and are sending a team to the region, with aid prepositioned in Panama. We are currently working on plans for the logistical and access challenges of working in an area where buildings have been reduced to rubble and where COVID-19 vaccinations rates are low.
Haiti is extremely politically turbulent, and Saturday’s earthquake comes amid a political crisis in the country following the assassination of its president last month. Tropical Storm Grace could also impact Haiti on Monday and Tuesday (local time) – bringing heavy rains to the region and potentially affecting search and rescue efforts.

Major Points
• ShelterBox has significant experience working in the region. We have worked in Haiti five times including in 2010 after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated the country when 200,000 people lost their lives and 5 million people lost their homes.
• In 2010, ShelterBox provided shelter for 28,000 families (140,000 people) – our biggest response to date.
• Our most recent response in Haiti was in 2016 following Hurricane Matthew. We worked in Les Cayes which is near to the epicentre of this most recent quake.
• Haiti is extremely politically turbulent, and Saturday’s earthquake comes amid a political crisis in the country following the assassination of its president last month.
Video/Image Assets: To support this media opportunity, ShelterBox Australia can provide images and footage of our past response work in Haiti.

About ShelterBox
ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters or conflict. In April 2021, ShelterBox surpassed providing support to two million people since 2000, responding to more than 300 disasters in nearly 100 countries. ShelterBox responds urgently to earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, or conflict by delivering boxes of essential shelter, aid, and other life-saving supplies. Each iconic green ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, a water filtration system, emergency lighting, and other tools for survival. The organisation was nominated for a distinguished Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 and 2019. ShelterBox Australia is based in Parramatta.

To schedule an interview with ShelterBox Australia CEO, Mike Greenslade, please get in touch with Mike on 0459 959 501 or [email protected]