Wednesday 18 April 2012
ShelterBox responds to floods in the Amazon
Photograph taken on a previous deployment to Peru in February 2010.Continuous heavy rains over the past few months have caused widespread flooding in the region of Loreto located in the heart of the Peruvian rainforest. The heavy rains have caused rivers' water levels to rise and consequently overflow into surrounding areas, displacing many families.
A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) is en route to Iquitos, the world's largest city that is unreachable by road and situated next to the left riverbank of the Amazon River, to assess the need for emergency shelter.
Reports say that the height of the Amazon River has surpassed its last record of 118.59 metres above sea level in the year 1986, causing flooding in many areas in and around Iquitos. Its some 493,000 inhabitants are suffering from power shortages and there are reports of some people becoming alarmed by the appearance of strange aquatic animals.
Challenges
Steve Crabtree (UK) is one of the SRT members who is travelling to the northern Peruvian city and said he is preparing himself for the challenges that lie ahead:
'We are flying to Lima to meet with local Rotarians to discuss transportation options to carry out the needs assessment. Not only is Iquitos unreachable by road but it is also flooded so we need to look at travelling around by boats. The next stage is then to think about how to get the ShelterBoxes there if a need is found and also find suitable dry land to pitch the tents with access to water and sanitation services. '
Malcolm Shead (UK), Mark Curnow (UK) and Rachel Simpkins (UK) are the other SRT members joining Steve on the deployment.
