The Inside Story of an Aid Worker's Secret Weapon: The Tarp | WIRED

The Inside Story of an Aid Worker's Secret Weapon: The Tarp | WIRED: "One of the least unusual items is plastic tarpaulin, also known as tarp or plastic sheeting, though neither of those names make it sound any less boring.



 Ask an aid worker, though, and the paeans to tarpaulin come pouring out. Cheap, lightweight, and waterproof, “tarpaulin is the most common shelter material,” says Joseph Ashmore, shelter consultant for the International Organization for Migration. Responders and survivors can use tarpaulin for roofs, fences, and flooring—but don’t limit your imagination to shelter. “I’ve seen people dry rice on it, in latrines, as bags, as trousers, as umbrellas,” Ashmore adds.



 Not all tarpaulin is created equal, though."



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