Medical Officer at Shelter Site: "We had more than 20 babies sleeping in cardboard boxes last night"
"Yesterday, in San Antonio's largest operating shelter, with nearly 1,000 people, more than 20 infants and toddlers spent the night sleeping in card board boxes, and many more toddlers slept on military cots from which they could easily slip off and hurt themselves. Parents also expressed concern they had no way to bathe their babies," said Jeanne-Aimee De Marrais, Save the Children's senior director of U.S. emergencies, who is leading the agency's response in Texas.
"In one case, a nine-month-old boy slipped off his cot and cut his nose," said De Marrais."In another case, a grandmother told me she had not been able to bathe her two-month-old grandchild in nearly a week. We quickly brought in portable pack-and-play cribs, umbrella strollers and hygiene kits with plastic water basins to help parents keep their children safe and comfortable."
Added De Marrais: "San Antonio has become ground zero for evacuees, providing beds for up to 6,000 people. The city has done a great job mobilizing support so quickly in the early stages of a major response like this, but we are finding that the basic needs of mothers and small children in shelters are getting overlooked. Cardboard boxes for infants to sleep in are not enough. We can do much better, and we are here to make it happen."About Save The Children:
Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We invest in childhood - every day, in times of crisis and for our future. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook.