Disaster Relief Organization Responding to Deadly Disasters in Morocco and Libya

• International humanitarian org. deployed assessment team to Morocco.
• ShelterBox routinely responds to earthquake and flooding situations.
• Interviews available with ShelterBox USA and teams on the ground.
• ShelterBox recently responded to the series of earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The devastating disasters in Morocco and Libya are increasing global displacement numbers, adding to the more than 100 million people that have been made homeless by disaster and conflict situations. International disaster relief organization ShelterBox is responding to the devastating earthquake in Morocco and Libya, drawing on its expertise in providing humanitarian assistance in earthquake and flood-impacted areas across the world.

ShelterBox sent an initial assessment team to Morocco last week. The team is liaising closely with the local Rotary Network, the government, and local authorities to reach remote areas. ShelterBox is working to get tents, thermal blankets, solar lights, and kitchen sets to mountain villages reduced to rubble. Many villagers have no option but to sleep in the open or communal tents. Some roads in the mountains are blocked by rubble and the communities are far apart.

ShelterBox response in Morocco is also working to address the dropping temperatures in the mountainous areas impacted by the earthquake.  Morocco's Atlas Mountains can be blanketed in snow in winter, with the tallest peak, Mt. Toubkal rising 13,665 feet above sea level. ShelterBox aid items are designed to be used for months, not just weeks, and we are using our experience of responding to earthquakes in cold climates. 

ShelterBox specializes in providing customized emergency shelter and other life-saving household supplies immediately following disasters and in conflict zones.

In addition to Morocco, ShelterBox is responding to the devastating flooding in Libya, supporting people whose homes have been severely damaged or washed away by flood waters. A ShelterBox response team is deploying to Tunisia to focus its efforts on supporting people whose homes have been washed away or damaged by the flood waters and are sheltering together in school buildings.

The organization is looking at what support is needed as the colder months approach - it could be blankets, gas stoves, or kitchen sets.

ShelterBox is working with longtime partner, ACTED, a humanitarian organization with a strong presence in the region. ACTED team members were already working in the flood-ravaged city of Derna before storm Daniel.

"The tragic events in Morocco and Libya have caused historic destruction and displacement across these North African countries," said Kerri Murray, president of ShelterBox USA, which is based in Santa Barbara, Calif. "Thousands of buildings and homes have been reduced to rubble. ShelterBox sent in an assessment team to the regions, and we are currently mounting our emergency shelter response with our partners in the region to find the best way to help."

Some people who lost their homes to flood waters are sheltering in school buildings. ShelterBox will focus on supporting displaced people in the coming colder months and consider helping with everything from thermal blankets to gas stoves to kitchen sets. ShelterBox helped the people of Libya before, partnering with ACTED and the Libyan Red Crescent Society in 2011 to meet the needs of people fleeing civil unrest. 

ShelterBox relies on private charitable donations which enable the global humanitarian work of the nonprofit organization. To learn more, visit ShelterBoxUSA.org.

About ShelterBox USA
ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters. It is currently responding to flooding in Pakistan, the war in Ukraine, drought in Eastern Africa, and in conflict areas within Yemen, Syria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. ShelterBox's aid items include multiple shelter items and tents, as well as solar lanterns, warm clothing and blankets, water filters and carriers, tools, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, cash assistance, and more. The charity has been Rotary International's project partner in disaster relief since 2012. ShelterBox has supported more than 2.5 million people since it was founded in 2000. It was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 and 2019 for its work in conflict zones. ShelterBox USA is based in Santa Barbara, Calif.

SOURCE ShelterBox USA