EMERGENCY RESPONSE KITS
Emergency Response Kits are distributed following disasters including tsunami, cyclones and floods in Oceania and the South Pacific. Families can lose everything when disasters strike and they need help immediately. In a few short minutes, an earthquake, tsunami, flood or cyclone can take away whole villages - loved ones, homes, belongings, crops and animals, livelihoods. They can be distributed within days, sometimes hours, of a humanitarian emergency.
Each Kit holds over 60 items packed in a 78-litre container which can be used to treat drinking water – there are purifying tablets for this purpose.
With a little ingenuity, families can create a shelter from tarpaulins using the hammer and nails provided. There’s a folding shovel for digging trenches. Food is key so there’s fishing gear, a hunting knife, and cooking equipment. As well as basic clothing, there are bed covers for warmth. Maintaining hygiene and treating minor injuries is important too; a medical pack with items such as soap, painkillers and antiseptic cream provides the basics.
Members of our club actively assist this project by helping to assemble the ERK’s on “packing days” held during the year.