Dear Rotarians, Category 5 Hurricane Irma is currently barreling through the Caribbean with sustained record-breaking wind speeds of 300 km/h. We are mobilizing a highly-trained ShelterBox Response Team today to understand how we can help families who have lost everything. Many islands have already been hit, and Barbuda is now considered uninhabitable as 95% of buildings were destroyed and there is no water or power. The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Florida are still in the potential path of this ferocious storm. An estimated 49 million people are in the path of Hurricane Irma, a storm that is roughly the same size as France, and now the strongest ever in the Atlantic. We currently have ShelterKits prepositioned in Panama and our team will be meeting with the International Federation of Red Cross in Panama to coordinate our response. Being in Panama will allow us to respond faster when the islands become accessible. But it's not just Hurricane Irma that is causing devastation around the world. The last two weeks have brought devastating flooding round the world. More than 1.7 million people have been affected in Nepal, while a third of Bangladesh is under water. Huge areas of India and Myanmar are also in need of support. As official Project Partners in disaster relief, Rotary and ShelterBox work together to ensure that no family is left without shelter after disasters. ShelterBox teams are currently working with Rotarians in District 3281 in Bangladesh and Rotary District 3292 in Nepal to determine the need and what we can do to help. We are also in communication with local Rotarians in the Caribbean. We need your support in order to help families affected by monsoon season and other disasters around the world. Please consider making a club donation and encourage your club members to donate and help families whose homes have been washed away. Donations can be made by mail or online at www.shelterboxcanada.org Attached here is a donation form that can be used to collect donations from members who wish to help. We also have fundraising pages available for all Rotary Clubs and we encourage you to sign up your club here. If you need any assistance with setting up your page please let me know. Thank you so much for your club's continued support. All the best,
Stephanie Christensen ShelterBox Canada Executive Director |
