Double disaster duty: Three months ago, a devastating typhoon hit a part of the Philippines that had just suffered a catastrophic earthquake. As always, volunteers in hard-hit communities played a critical role.

In the face of heatwaves and flooding, the Mexican Red Cross and the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance are promoting local solutions to measure and strengthen community resilience

This is an adaptation of the original article written by Brenda Ávila Flores, Francisco Gabriel Reyes Gil, Jessica Rosales, Karla Hernandez, and Daniela Aguilar, published on December 15, 2025.Mexico is vulnerable to a variety of climate-related risks. These include droughts in the northern desert region, frosts in the north-west and north-east, heavy rainfall in the south, and tropical cyclones along the coast.According to Mexico’s National Centre for Disaster Prevention, approximately 80 per cent of disaster-related costs in Mexico between 2000 and 2022 were associated with water-related events. Flooding in the country has consistently caused damage to infrastructure, loss of life, displacement of communities and economic losses.Heat waves are also common in Mexico during the summer; however, the National Water Commission reports that most of the country has experienced above-average temperatures due to climate change.Two contrasting locations are Mexicali and Veracruz (Sotavento). These locations differ widely in terms of their geography, the threats they face, their vulnerabilities and their capacities.Mexicali is an urban centre on the northern border where people work in agriculture, industry and services, but face extreme heat, scarce rainfall and limited cooling options.In contrast, peri-urban and rural communities in the Sotavento region depend on agriculture, experience abundant rainfall and have access to river systems. However, they are constantly exposed to flooding and tropical cyclones.Climate Resilience Measurement for CommunitiesIn recent months, the Mexican Red Cross has used the Climate Resilience Measurement for Communities (CRMC) framework to guide a holistic and participatory process. The CRMC is a data-driven process that help communities evaluate and measure their resilience to climate hazards. And then, using the results, they can identify and implement resilience-building interventions and run additional measurements to track improvements.This measurement process included people's concerns about flooding in Veracruz communities, as well as the health implications of heat-related vector-borne diseases in Mexicali. The framework enables context-specific information on climate resilience to be obtained. By linking local knowledge with regional action, the Mexican Red Cross and its partners are addressing the immediate risks of extreme heat and flooding while also shaping systemic solutions for Mexico's future.The programme works with local populations to strengthen flood resilience at household and community levels by implementing interventions such as forming community brigades, developing family emergency plans and raising risk awareness through community resilience fairs.In both rural and urban areas, the Mexican Red Cross facilitates collaboration and integration with various sectors, including health, education, universities, and civil protection. This knowledge and experience is shared with communities, professionals, and political leaders, and is used to promote better laws, policies, and plans.Heat wavesIn recent years, Mexicali has experienced record temperatures in summer and an increasing number of heat waves. In 2024 alone, 47 deaths were directly attributed to extreme heat, marking a notable rise compared to previous years. This trend highlights the urgent need to address extreme heat as a critical public health issue.In Mexicali, families and workers depend on improved infrastructure and protective equipment, such as air conditioning, thermally insulated buildings and public cooling centres. This is not only to safeguard their health, but also to maintain their livelihoods and economic activities.However, air conditioning is not accessible to all, and marginalised communities often experience power outages, which increases their vulnerability. This highlights the need to explore affordable, accessible alternative cooling solutions to ensure heat protection for the most vulnerable. The assessment conducted through the CRMC identified opportunities to improve understanding of, and implementation of, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), which protect, manage and restore ecosystems in order to address climate challenges.“There is no single approach to increasing climate resilience”.Mexican Red Cross Resilience Programme TeamHurricanes and stormsThe municipalities of the Sotavento region in Veracruz are regularly affected by hurricanes and tropical cyclones. These events bring heavy rainfall, which causes flooding in the basin and in low-lying areas. A key factor in the region's resilience is the presence of community brigades: local groups trained in disaster preparedness and response. The CRMC analysis identified an opportunity to strengthen these brigades by providing them with training and coordination, and by linking them to Early Warning Systems (EWS), which currently have limited reach at the local level. This will ensure that the most vulnerable groups receive timely information that will prompt life-saving actions and reduce losses and damage. “While each community has its own particular circumstances, the CRMC's research in multiple communities reveals trends in the impact of floods and extreme heat on social and economic structures”.Mexican Red Cross Resilience Programme TeamA collaborative approachThe CRMC process generates localised, up-to-date information that provides valuable insight into both gaps and opportunities.The Mexican Red Cross uses these findings to design and implement resilience actions that address real needs while strengthening existing capacities. Guided by the programme's objectives, the Mexican Red Cross works to integrate climate resilience with disaster risk management and expand access to SAT for floods and heat among the most vulnerable populations. These findings emphasise the importance of promoting context-specific resilience measures and influencing local and regional stakeholders to address shared challenges.In implementing the CRMC, the Mexican Red Cross adopted an innovative approach to data collection, adapted to urban contexts and designed to protect staff and volunteers in complex environments. Rather than conducting door-to-door surveys, resilience fairs were organised in Mexicali and Veracruz. These events brought community members together to participate actively in measuring the CRMC and in interactive activities designed to raise awareness of the risks in their territories. Additionally, data was collected through focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders. These included community leaders and government authorities from various civil protection organisations.This timely engagement enabled critical stakeholders and potential partners to become involved from the outset, thereby building trust and credibility. This engagement continues today as the Mexican Red Cross communicates the main results of the CRMC to decision-makers and communities, strengthening shared responsibility, empowering local actors to lead resilience efforts and ensuring that actions are appropriated by those most affected.To complement the actions of the Mexican Red Cross at a local level, the IFRC will work to ensure that the lessons learned from this initiative are recognised, adopted and replicated internationally in various strategic areas.

Madagascar: Cyclones 2026

Back-to-back cyclones have torn through Madagascar in just ten days, killing dozens of people and affecting more than 450,000, with entire neighbourhoods in Toamasina devastated and communities cut off from food, clean water and health care. Homes, schools, health facilities and livelihoods have been destroyed, and rising floodwaters are increasing the risk of disease outbreaks as thousands of families are left without shelter or basic services. The Malagasy Red Cross Society, with support from the IFRC, is delivering life-saving relief including emergency shelter, clean water, health services and early recovery assistance, but urgent funds are needed to reach 45,000 of the most vulnerable people and scale up before conditions worsen.

Study: Climate change fuels fire weather threatening the world’s oldest trees in Argentina and Chile

By The Climate CentreThe IFRC last week allocated half a million Swiss francs from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund to reinforce the Chilean Red Cross response to the large-scale forest-fire emergency that began in January in the Ñuble and Biobío regions in the centre of the country.“On 18 January, these fires went uncontrolled and rapidly spread due to adverse weather conditions and a sudden change of wind direction locally known as viento puelche, entering in a few hours in highly populated neighbourhoods,” IFRC-DREF said.The fires evolved rapidly and the authorities declared a catastrophe the same day, deploying the full resources of the national response system.“The emergency has had significant humanitarian impacts, including mass evacuations [of some 50,000 people], loss of life, damage to homes, disruption to livelihoods, and significant alterations in access to basic services and critical infrastructure,” IFRC-DREF added.The Chilean Red Cross earlier activated its simplified early action protocol for wildfire, the first of its kind in the world, releasing 95,000 CHF to assist 2,000 people.Human-induced climate change has made the fire weather that accompanied the recent blazes in both Chile and Argentina up to three times more likely, a new analysis by World Weather Attribution published today has found; La Niña is also shown to have played a lesser role in promoting the dry conditions.‘Massive impact in multiple areas’The scientists say these regions are getting up to 25 per cent less rainfall than they would have in a world without the burning of fossil fuels, while the fires were also driven by temperatures approaching 40°C and winds of some 40kph.The province mainly affected in Argentina, Chubut, includes the Los Alerces National Park in Patagonia that borders Chile and is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.Argentine scientist Juan Antonio Rivera of the Scientific and Technological Center in the central city of Mendoza and a WWA study author said: “These fires are striking at the heart of our communities and natural heritage. In Patagonia, we are seeing blazes threaten the Alerce trees – ancient giants that have stood undisturbed for thousands of years."“The combination of human-induced warming and natural cycles like La Niña has created an aridity that fires thrive on. For Chile and Argentina, the drying of our landscapes is no longer a projection but a crisis that needs an urgent response to protect our unique biodiversity and the people of our region.”The WWA statement today said that “iconic landscapes, glacial lakes, mountain towns, and peak summer tourism hubs, quickly became evacuation zones as fires advanced along the eastern slopes of the Andes.”The Climate Centre’s senior urban specialist Aynur Kadihasanoglu adds: “In Chile, the proximity of flammable pine plantations and human settlements puts lives and livelihoods at risk … To save lives, we must address not only the emissions driving rising temperatures, but also the local exposure that leaves communities so vulnerable.”The Chilean Red Cross has been involved in wildfire emergencies at the national level in 2012, 2014, 2017, 2022–23, and 2024, assisting thousands of affected people, but “the increase in the frequency and intensity of these threats due to climate change and population flows to areas of urbanization not regulated by the state have transformed these scenarios into events with massive impact in multiple areas,” IFRC-DREF says.

Beyond limits: Part 2 in Red Vest podcast's series for the International Year of Volunteers

Statement: The IFRC expresses its deep sorrow and sadness at the death of volunteer Samiha Rakhamiya of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent

Geneva, 8 February 2026 - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expresses its deep sorrow and sadness at the death of volunteer Samiha Rakhamiya of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent while carrying out a humanitarian mission to rescue people stranded by floods in rural Lattakia.The incident occurred at midnight between the 7 and 8 of February when a vehicle was swept into a valley in the Jabal al-Turkman area, resulting in the death of Samiha and injuries to four volunteers of varying severity. A fifth volunteer was injured during efforts to rescue a child stranded by the floods.Samiha served the Syrian Arab Red Crescent for more than 12 years, demonstrating remarkable dedication and courage throughout her humanitarian work. She was among the first responders to earthquakes and fires and most recently served as Disaster Management Coordinator in Lattakia, leaving a lasting impact on her colleagues and the communities she supported.The IFRC extends its heartfelt condolences to her family and to her colleagues at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured volunteers.For more information or to set up an interview contact:[email protected]

Mozambique: Floods 2026

Since late December 2025, relentless rains and overflowing rivers have caused devastating floods across Mozambique. The floods have affected more than 650,000 people and destroyed homes, livelihoods, crops, water systems and critical infrastructure in seven provinces. With more rainfall forecast and the cyclone season underway, families displaced by the floods face rising risks of disease, hunger and prolonged loss of dignity, while national and local responders are overstretched. The Mozambique Red Cross, with support from the IFRC, is evacuating at-risk communities, delivering emergency relief, providing health and WASH support, and scaling up early recovery assistance. But the Mozambique Red Cross urgently needs more resources to continue reaching the most vulnerable with life-saving support.

IFRC Global Migration and Displacement Platform: A Holistic and Coordinated Response

Migration and Displacement Platform

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Statement: IFRC outraged by the killing of a Palestine Red Crescent colleague in Gaza

Ramallah/Beirut/Geneva, 4 February 2026: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is outraged by the killing of Hussein Hassan Hussein Al-Samiri, a dedicated paramedic with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). Hussein was killed while performing life-saving humanitarian duties in Khan Younis during an attack in the Al-Mawasi area, on 4 February 2026.The IFRC sends its deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues and expresses its full solidarity with PRCS.Humanitarian workers and medical personnel must be respected and protected at all times to ensure life-saving assistance can reach people in need.The Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems are symbols of protection, humanity, neutrality, and hope. Yet too often, our volunteers and staff are killed while performing life-saving work. The loss of Hussein is a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by those who dedicate their lives to helping others.The IFRC calls for the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers and medical personnel: it is a legal and moral obligation.This tragedy brings the number of PRCS staff and volunteers killed in the line of duty to 30 in Gaza and 2 in the West Bank since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023.For more information, please contact: [email protected] Beirut:Mey Al Sayegh, +961 761 744 68 In Geneva:Tommaso Della Longa, +41 79 708 43 67Scott Craig, +41 76 370 35 75

Analytical Note on UNHCR Multi-Purpose Hubs (MPHs), IOM Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs), and IFRC Humanitarian Service Points (HSPs) Clarifying Mandates, Design Logic, and Complementarity under Route-Based Approach

This note responds to growing queries from civil society, Member States, partners, and donors regarding the distinctions and complementarities between UNHCR’s Multi-Purpose Hubs (MPHs), IOM’s Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) and IFRC Humanitarian Service Points (HSPs). These models are increasingly referenced as practical expressions of the route-based approach. While they stem from different institutional origins, in many operational contexts they serve refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants alike, depending on needs and established referral pathways. Clarifying how each model functions, and how they complement one another, is essential to strengthen inter-agency coordination, avoid duplication, and maximize complementarities and operational coherence along routes.

Islamic humanitarian giving

As the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 16 million community-based volunteers, the IFRCis uniquely positioned to ensure your Zakat donations reach the people and communities who need it most. The IFRC is fully accredited for receiving Zakat donations andwe are based in communities alongside the people we support. We act before, during and after emergencies and crises to support the people in greatest need and to help build lasting resilience.

Europe Regional Office

The IFRC’s EuropeanRegional Office works in support of 54 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Through its Country Cluster Support Teams and Country Offices, it provides coordination, financial and technical support for disaster operations and longer-term development programs throughout the region. View current IFRC network country plans for Europe.

Surviving the storm: Just more than two months after a deadly cyclone in Sri Lanka, volunteers continue to help people restart their lives