International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
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Red Cross/Red Crescent warns of epidemics caused by contaminated water
10 November 1998		 Emergency water purification teams (Emergency Response Units) are being sent to Honduras and Nicaragua by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as signs of a health crisis loom in the wake of Hurricane Mitch.
More Aid is urgently needed
02 November 1998		 As tropical storm Mitch continues to cause severe damage throughout Central America, the needs for emergency assistance are growing dramatically. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will triple the appeal it launched Friday for international assistance, raising the amount to almost 10 million Swiss francs.
Red Cross launches second winter appeal for Russia and its neighbours
30 September 1998		 The financial crisis sweeping Russia and its neighbours threatens to make the coming winter there the hardest for at least a generation.
Hurricane Georges Caribbean's most destructive since Hugo in 1989
24 September 1998		 Hurricane Georges, which has cut a swath of destruction through the Caribbean and is now over Cuba forecast to be tracking toward the Florida Keys, is already the worst the Caribbean Basin has suffered since Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in Geneva today.
Federation warns of catastrophe in Russia
11 September 1998		 Combined effects of economic collapse, winter and bad harvests threaten devastating consequences for millions in Russia, with the crisis spilling over into neighbouring states.
Sudan floods: tens of thousands in peril
7 September 1998		 With tens of thousands already left homeless by floods in northern and eastern Sudan, the International Federation has appealed to its international donors for more, and immediate, support of rescue programmes underway. It is asking for almost 3 million Swiss francs to help 95,500 of the most needy.

Massive humanitarian aid needed for disaster victims in Asia
3 September 1998		 A natural disaster of unprecedented proportions is unfolding in monsoon-stricken Asia, endangering the lives and livelihoods of more than a quarter of a billion people and requiring a massive humanitarian relief effort.
Red Cross doubles aid to China flood victims
2 September 1998		 With no sign of an end to the relentless rains afflicting vast areas of China, the Red Cross is doubling its activities on behalf of flood victims. Working with the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), the Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is assisting more than one million people through distributions of food, medicines and water purification tablets; some 10,000 Red Cross public health teams are working among the stricken communities.From today (Wednesday 2 September), the caseload will double to two million.
Tens of thousands displaced in East Sudan
31 August 1998		 More than 55,000 people in Sudan are now believed to have been displaced from their homes in the east of the country because of outbreaks of shelling across the border with Eritrea, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Monday, 31 August. A majority are now threatened by disease and a lack of basic necessities, and fighting in the past month has caused many to move on for a second time.
Nairobi bombing : the disaster has just begun
26 August 1998		 The suffering caused by the Nairobi bombing has only just begun, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said today. Launching a worldwide appeal to assist victims of the August 7 blast which targeted the American Embassy, it said the healing of wounds - psychological and physical - would be a long and painful process, while thousands would endure economic hardship.
Red Cross Red Crescent to benefit from Princess Diana paintings
26 August 1998		 Red Cross Red Crescent Societies across the globe are set to benefit from a unique tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, launched today.
Federation pleads for urgent action on refugees from Kosovo
14 August 1998		 Thousands of refugees who have fled fighting in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's province of Kosovo are living in appalling conditions in northeastern Albania, with 15 to 20 people sharing a single room and hygiene a major concern.

Dengue haemorragic fever epidemic in Cambodia may become the worst in country's history, Red Cross/Red Crescent warns
12 August 1998		 Forecasts that the total number of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever cases in Cambodia will rise to 16,000 by the end of the year mean that it would be the worst outbreak in the country's recent history, the Red Cross/Red Crescent said Wednesday.
Red Cross/Red Crescent response to floods in Bangladesh
30 July 1998		 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Thursday launched an international appeal for 2.7 million Swiss francs (1.7 million USD) in support of relief operations for flood victims in Bangladesh.

Papua New Guinea Appeal
21 July 1998		 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is appealing for 907,000 Swiss francs to provide emergency assistance to survivors of the huge tidal waves that have left at least 750 people dead and thousands feared dead in Papua New Guinea. The funds will be used to provide food, clothing, kitchen utensils, shelter materials, tools and medicines for up to 10,000 people.
Appeal for one million flood victims
20 July 1998		 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is launching an international appeal to help one million flood victims in China. The organization is seeking 6.7 million Swiss francs to provide them with rice, wheat, medicines, water purification tablets and medical supplies.
Urgent need for food and medicine
17 July 1998		 Several hundred thousand families are in dire need of food and medicines after strong floods devastated South and Central China.
Uzbekistan/Kyrgyzstan Floods
14 July 1998		 Five to six hundred people are still missing and feared dead, and many more are homeless after the Ak Su and Shahimardan rivers burst their banks on the Kyrgyzstan/Uzbekistan border on the night of 8 July 1998.
Albania - update
18 June 1998		 The Albanian Red Cross (ARC), with support from the International Federation and the ICRC, continues to meet the basic needs of refugees fleeing fighting in Kosovo. Some 12,000 people have arrived in the northern Albanian region of Tropoje, over the last three weeks. Some 500 have arrived over the last three days.
Killed in the line of duty
11 June 1998		 A Sudanese Red Crescent worker, Magboul Mamoun, was killed together with two employees from the World Food Programme when their vehicle was ambushed Tuesday 9 June.
Appeal for refugees to Northern Albania
11 June 1998		 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies today launched an appeal for food for 10,000 refugees fleeing fighting in Kosovo. Refugees began arriving in Tropoje, in northern Albania, on 31 May. Exhausted after several days' walk, refugees are still arriving in the remote and mountainous region at the rate of about 100 people a day.
'Sanctions can kill', warns president of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
8 May 1998		 Dr Astrid N Heiberg, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies today called on the international community to provide financial support for those hardest hit by sanctions: vulnerable people.
Federation President visits Middle East
9 March 1998		 Dr Astrid Heiberg, recently-elected President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, arrives in Amman, Jordan today, 9 March, at the start of a five-day tour of three countries in the Middle East - Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. This is her first official overseas visit in her present capacity.
Afghanistan earthquake latest
8 February 1998		 Offers of funding support have been pouring into the Geneva headquarters of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the wake of reports of a severe earthquake in northern Afghanistan earlier this week.
Afghanistan/Tajikistan earthquake
6 February 1998		 At least 2,150 people are dead and thousands injured after a violent earthquake rocked northern Afghanistan and southern Tajikistan on 4 February, according to preliminary and provisional information gathered by the Afghan Red Crescent.
Help needed 'fast' for China earthquake victims
13 January 1998		 The Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary appeal for victims of the weekend's earthquake in Hebei province, northern China.
Race against time as Bangladesh shivers
11 January 1998		 A SFr 560,000 Red Cross Red Crescent race against time was underway this weekend, as Bangladesh - where tropical temperatures are the norm - suffers an excessive cold snap, which has already left at least 100 people dead.
Turning back the clock to face the future
8 January 1998		 The changing face of humanitarian work worldwide is comprehensively reflected in 'Emergency Appeal 1998', launched today by the Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.



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