Pat's mercy mission

10:08am Thursday 15th May 2008

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A BUILDER is flying out to earthquake-hit China to help with the international relief effort.

Pat Prendergast from Blunsdon will head up a team of two people from the charity ShelterBox when he leaves for Chengdu in the next few days.

The 57-year-old will travel to the western part of the country to assess the extent of the damage before reporting back to the charity.

"We must make sure they receive the equipment they need the most," said Pat.

"There's no point packing cooking pots if they have them already.

"If you could put another tent in an aid box instead then it would be enough for 20 people to sleep in.

"People are having to sleep outdoors as they can't trust the stability of their homes."

Shelterbox provides aid boxes, which contain a 10-person tent, blankets, water purification and cooking equipment, basic tools, a multi-fuel stove and survival equipment.

"We will work with the local authorities, even the Chinese army and possibly the Red Cross when we're there," said Pat.

"Then I will report back to ShelterBox via satellite.

"The boxes, which could be about 500 to start with, would then arrive within two weeks.

"I'm prepared for the devastation I will see out there. I've been told the worst thing will be the smell of dead bodies trapped underneath collapsed buildings."

The earthquake measured 7.9 on the Richter Scale and it is thought almost 15,000 people could have died since the quake hit the Sichuan province earlier this week and the number will rise.

So far a team of four volunteers from Shelterbox have taken 1,600 boxes of aid to another disaster area, Burma.

More is expected to follow after a cyclone hit the country leaving more than a million people homeless.

Pat is scheduled to fly there after obtaining his visa this week.

But he will now travel to China first before, hopefully, flying to Burma.

"My situation is changing by the day," he said.

"I'm confident my visa for China will come through shortly.

"There is nothing quite like giving a family a home, albeit temporary and the thanks and gratitude you are greeted with. It's about getting the people set up and giving them some sort of hope."