What?
A volcanic eruption occurs when pressure builds up within a volcano and is released in a sudden explosion.
When a volcano erupts, huge amounts of very hot gas, boulders, ash and molten rock can burst out - this often happens very fast.
Sometimes this volcanic material is thrown into the air, sometimes it pours down the side of the mountain.

Why?
Volcanoes are created when molten rock - often known as lava - that is forced to the earth's surface. The build-up of pressure that causes this is also responsible for the eruptions that follow.

What are the effects?
Volcanic eruptions can cause lava flows, avalanches of volcanic rock and ash (pyroclastic flows), clouds of poisonous gas, and falling ash and debris. Buildings in the surrounding area are most often damaged by the ash that falls on roofs. The pyroclastic flows are also one of the greatest threats posed by a volcanic eruption.

Volcano Fact:
Almost 90% of volcanoes occur in an area known as the Ring of Fire, a band that circles the Pacific Ocean.

But there are also volcanoes in other places, including Italy.

How can ShelterBox help?
As modern science progresses we are more able to predict when volcanic eruptions might happen and can then evacuate people living nearby.

Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador began erupting in 1999 and a series of violent eruptions in 2006 damaged many villages around the volcano and forced thousands of people to leave their homes.

ShelterBox was asked to help and sent enough tents to house 2,000 people in evacuation centres at a safe distance from the volcano.

ShelterBox Response Teams

When ShelterBoxes are sent out to a disaster, a 'ShelterBox Response Team' is also deployed. These teams are all made up of volunteers, who have trained with us, and are ready to go with the ShelterBoxes anywhere in the world.They ensure the safe delivery and distribution of the ShelterBoxes. Our team members are men and women who usually work in very different types of jobs e.g.
policemen and policewomen,paramedics,firemen,chef,writer,accountant,graduates,ex-navypersonnel,businessmen etc.

The main person we deploy is Mark Pearson. Mark is a photographer and journalist, and his photographs are very important to our work. He sends back to our Headquarters up to date information and pictures and advises us where the greatest need is, and the type of aid required.Almost all of the photos that you can see on the website have been taken by Mark.

Below you will find some true stories of some of our 'ShelterBox Response Team' members, we hope you will enjoy them.

My name is Lucy and I volunteer with ShelterBox. Sometimes I help to pack the green boxes in the warehouse, and at other times I help to answer phones or reply to emails in the office. Last summer I went to Ecuador, in South America, to help give the boxes to people whose homes had been damaged by a volcanic eruption.

Ecuador is a beautiful country that has jungle, beaches, and lots of volcanoes. Lots of people live around the volcanoes, and many of them are farmers. They grow crops and raise animals, then come into the local towns to sell their produce at the markets.

One evening, the volcano called Tungurahua began to erupt. Red lava and clouds of smoke began to come out of the top. Many of the people that lived close to the volcano were very scared and quickly came to the towns where it was safe. The eruption continued for the next few weeks and people thought it could last for many more months, or even years. ShelterBox decided to help by giving the people two-hundred tents, so that they had a place of their own in which to sleep at night.

I went to Ecuador to help give the tents to the people. While I was there, I met some of the people that were going to have the tents. One of them was a girl called Anita, who was going to use the tent with her mum, dad, grandma, and pet dog. Anita asked me to say “muchas gracias”, which means thank you very much, to everyone at ShelterBox!