ShelterBox Response - Earthquake in Guatemala
Canadian ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members Jen Kormendy and Dan Huisman arrived in Guatemala to assess the need for emergency shelter in Guatemala's San Marcos, a region devastated by two strong earthquakes in November that has left hundreds of families homeless.
The Shelter Box Response Team is working with local Rotarians and the Mayan Families organization. The initial distribution of tens included prepositioned stock leftover from the previous deployment in the same area in 2010.
There is a definite need as many homes are either completely destroyed or uninhabitable due to safety concerns. There are many cases of multiple families sleeping under one tarp which is all they have.
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the mountainous area near the Mexican border on 7 November. This is the most powerful tremor Guatemala has felt in 40 years. A second 6.1-magnitude quake struck the same area on 12 November.
