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A ShelterBox response team is travelling to Ecuador to carry out assessments following a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the northern town of Muisne.
The devastation has been huge. Streets have cracked and many buildings have collapsed, leaving people homeless and causing thousands of casualties.
The ShelterBox operations team has been monitoring the situation since the earthquake took place on Saturday night, which has so far triggered heavy landslides and more than 130 aftershocks.
A ShelterBox response team, made up of Jon Berg (UK) and Kara Lapso (US), is now preparing to travel to Ecuador to assess the level of destruction and what type of emergency shelter is needed.
ShelterBox already has aid positioned in neighbouring Colombia, as well as in Panama and Bolivia, which can be quickly transported into the country.
ShelterBoxes can provide shelter and essential aid, like blankets, solar lights and water filters, for families who have lost their homes and belongings, while shelter kits contain heavy-duty tools and materials to help people rebuild damaged homes and buildings.
James Luxton, ShelterBox Operations Team Lead, said: ‘It is vital that we send a team to Ecuador to see what the situation is like on the ground.
‘Aftershocks and landslides, combined with current heavy rainfall in the country, not only mean that more homes could be destroyed, but that many families will be experiencing terrifying conditions without proper shelter.’
The earthquake in Ecuador follows large quakes in Japan, Myanmar, Vanuatu and Afghanistan last week.
