In January 2023, USAID provided 60 tents to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), enhancing its regional units’ capacity to provide people with a lit and warm shelter in case of an emergency. The tents can be used as autonomous units or as a part of a “field settlement,” where each tent may serve different purposes.
This aid, worth about $6,5 million, is an emergency measure to keep Ukrainians warm and connected during electricity and heat outages caused by russia’s repeated shelling of the country’s energy infrastructure.
The tents have powerful 160 kW generators, LED lights and electricity kits, an environmental control unit, and subflooring. Each tent can accommodate about 30 people at a time, or a total of 1,800 in all the 60 tents, allowing people to stay warm and connected.
On January 23-24, 2023, the USAID Energy Security Project provided a two-day on-site technical training to the SESU. During this training, 45 people from different SESU units acquired practical skills to deploy the tents and connect the related equipment.
This USAID assistance aims to create temporary heated shelters in case of emergency, enhancing Ukrainian people’s resilience to withstand russian aggression.
In addition, USAID, through its Energy Security Project, is procuring another 56 portable inflatable tents for the needs of the SESU. These tents can be quickly and easily deployed on the field regardless of weather conditions and the time of the year. They will serve as portable heating points for civilians during emergencies.