Ulaanbaatar/Kuala Lumpur, 12 January 2021 –Forecasts of one of the most extreme winters on record in Mongolia have triggered the release of pre-emptive emergency funds in a bid to protect the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable herders, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced today. Mongolia’s National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring has warned that more than 60 per cent of the country is at risk of an extreme winter, with temperatures forecast to plummet to extreme lows of -50C for days on end. These extreme winters – known asdzud– threaten the health and livelihoods of thousands of Mongolian herders living in the country’s remote central and southern provinces.Dzudis caused by the double impact of drought in the summer followed by harsh winter conditions. Without summer rain, grass does not grow and millions of farm animals cannot put on enough weight to survive the winter and farmers are unable to grow sufficient harvests. Mongolian Red Cross Society Secretary GeneralBolormaa Nordovsaid: “Dzuds are devastating for the herder families who rely on their animals for almost everything, whether it’s meat and milk for food, or the cashmere and skins they sell to buy supplies or pay school fees. Losing their animals mean they can quickly fall into poverty.” “Without support, extreme winter brings misery, hunger and hardship for thousands of families forcing many to move to squatter settlements outside Ulaanbaatar, our capital. This anticipatory action allows us to help some of the most at-risk people before the harsh winter sets in.” The unwelcome news of the coming dzudhas triggered the release of nearly 290,000 Swiss francs (about 314,000 US dollars) from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. This will allow the Mongolian Red Cross to support 2,000 herder families in a bid to prevent major stock and economic loss through the distribution of cash grants and animal care kits. The release of these funds come as part of the IFRC’s Forecast-based Financing approach. Under this approach, IFRC works with scientific partners to combine weather forecasts and risk analyses to develop pre-agreed thresholds that trigger the release of emergency funding with a view to limiting or even outright preventing the adverse consequences of climate hazards like the dzud.This early action is conducted in partnership with other humanitarian actors including the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. IFRC’s Regional Forecast-Based Financing Coordinator, Raymond Zingg, said: “The goal of Forecast-based Financing is to anticipate disasters, prevent their impact as best as possible to reduce human suffering and losses. The key element is to agree in advance to release financial resources if a specific forecast threshold is triggered. “Simply waiting for disasters to strike is no longer an option. Climate change is bringing more frequent and severe disasters and our anticipatory action approach is helping communities move from reacting after extreme weather events to preparing before these emergencies.” In 2010, the dzudkilled more than 11 million animals and thousands of herder families were forced off the land. Mongolia’s Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment has predicted that severe dzuds like the 2010 event will become more frequent, occurring every four to five years instead of every 10.

Rebuilding your home, reestablishing income source, or feeding families are all the basic right of people. But those in the Philippines, devastated by typhoons Goni and Vamco are now facing incredible life changing decisions. They have to now prioritize one basic need over the other as they start to rebuild their lives in the wake of back-to-back super typhoons. For Jesus and Jocelyn Onsay, rebuilding their damaged home and providing a roof for their five grandchildren is a priority. However, they can’t buy any materials to start the repairs because their crops, their only source of income, were destroyed by the storms. With their crops destroyed, even providing food for the family is a challenge, and the food relief currently available is not enough. Jesus Onsay blows air to start a fire and boil water. His grandchildren share a pack of instant noodles from the food relief for breakfast. “It’s really difficult. We can’t do anything but rebuild our house. We can’t go to work because we need to repair our house first so the children will have roof above their heads. It pains me to see them get wet by the rain,” Jesus said. Jocelyn checks their belongings covered by a tarpaulin that was provided by Red Cross after Typhoon Mina in 2007. Their home’s roof was completely ripped off by Typhoon Goni’s powerful winds. Typhoon Vamco compounded their suffering, dumping rains that drenched possessions and inundated their house. Ceferino, 67, and Celeste, 65, have tried to make their destroyed house habitable again using a tarpaulin provided by the Philippine Red Cross and nails and pieces of wood salvaged from the ruins of their home. Ceferino earns a living as a part time construction laborer but with his age, finding a job has proven not to be that easy. “Only few people hire me because of my age. I am trying my best to repair our house to make it livable without enough materials because I have no money,” Ceferino explained. Christopher has to make the difficult decision of cleaning and repairing his house first but that means losing his source of income. “That’s the problem, instead of attending to our livelihood, we have to fix our house first, so we have a shelter. Our income comes from harvesting copra (dried coconut kernel) and abaca. Our abaca is already rotting (up in the mountain). This is life. We have to accept it,” Christopher said. Abaca crops – an important source of income for many families, were destroyed by typhoons Goni and Vamco. The typhoons have also devastated fishing communities, like in Bato, Catanduanes. Food for his two children and wife is Alvin’s priority. He is at a loss on how to recover from all the devastation brought by the massive flooding to their home and farm. He was able to save the water buffaloes, but said he will need support to replant his crops and rebuild the farm. Typhoons Goni and Vamco have destroyed crops that are crucial for food supplies and income, including these corn fields in Amulung, Cagayan. Elma Navarro’s house was seriously damaged by the flood brought by typhoon Vamco. With the help of relatives, they managed to repair the house, but Elma has doubts if it could withstand another major disaster. As a single mum, Elma’s focus is now to look for work and an income that can help her rebuild a safer home while supporting her three children and 97-year-old mother. “This is the worst flood I have experienced since Typhoon Mangkhut in 2017. I wash clothes to earn money to support my family and without an additional source of income, I don’t think I will be able to rebuild our house,” Elma said. Nearly 1.3 million people are still suffering after consecutive storms destroyed their homes. The livelihoods of over 200,000 farmers and fishermen are affected. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has released 1.15 million Swiss francs from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to provide immediate and urgent needs of affected communities. More support is needed to help people get back on their feet. IFRC launched a revised Emergency Appeal for 10.8 million Swiss francs to support the Philippine Red Cross in its operations to assist families in rebuilding their homes and restarting their disrupted livelihoods.

Suva,22April2020–As a fuller picture of the destruction caused by Tropical Cyclone Harold in Vanuatu begins to appear, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has released an additional allocation under its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to cover urgent relief assistance in the first six months. Tropical Cyclone (TC) Harold left a trail of destruction across Vanuatu in early April, affecting more than 127,0000 people, and destroying 90 per cent of housing in some areas, including Luganville, Vanuatu’s second largest city. Onthe Island of Pentecost, up to 95 per cent of houses were destroyed, and many families are still sheltering in evacuation centres. At the time of TC Harold’s arrival, the country, which is one of the most disaster-prone in the world, was already dealing with immense humanitarian challenges, including COVID-19 preparedness as well as ongoing volcanic eruptions in Tafea province and localised flooding. “Vanuatu Red Cross Society, as an auxiliary partner to the National Disaster Management Office of the government, are experienced and were well prepared to respond to needs on several fronts,” IFRC’s Head of Country Cluster Support Team for the Pacific , Kathryn Clarkson, says. "At the time of TC Harold, they were already providing COVID-19 awareness session and hygiene promotion in communities, and now have scaled up their extensive volunteer network throughout the islands to support the needs of people affected by TC Harold.” In response to these challenges, on April 21, the IFRC allocated an additional CHF 657,590 from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to boost the ongoing emergency response operations of the Vanuatu Red Cross. “This will target 5,050 families [approximately 25,250 people or 30 per cent of the affected population] with emergency shelter needs, non-food relief items, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH), health and first aid,” Ms Clarkson says. “With restrictions on travel at the moment across the Pacific due to COVID-19, we also need to adjust to provide technical support remotely from our IFRC office in Fiji with additional delegates working remotely from New Zealand and Australia.“ This assistance will also complement other financial and in-kind assistance provided by the U.S Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Australian Red Cross and New Zealand Red Cross. “Vanuatu Red Cross are on the ground, and in the most affected communities, supporting in a number of ways, including collaboration with health authorities and partners, to offer health stations in evacuation centres where the existing medical facilities have been destroyed,” IFRC’s TC Harold Operations Manager, Rene Jinon says. “By accessing relief stock on the islands, it has enabled the Vanuatu Red Cross Society to work quickly to support those who need it most,” Mr Jinon adds. “To date more than750 standard Vanuatu Red Cross Society family kits have been provided to affected families on three of the Islands, including a shelter tool kit, two tarpaulins, kitchen sets and hygiene kits, two mosquito nets, a 20L jerry can, two sleeping mats and blankets and a solar lamp.” IFRC’s assistance is to respond to immediate relief needs, while detailed assessments continue to be carried out for recovery needs.

Since the nationwide mass protests started in Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross teams have been on the ground providing life-saving support to people affected. To date, more than 12,965 people have been assisted. To help the Red Cross to cope with the needs, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has released over 380,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. The Red Cross has a country-wide network of around 12,000 volunteers, and a thousand of them have been mobilized daily all over Lebanon. The Red Cross teams have treated hundreds of people on the site of the protests, while more critical cases have been transported to hospitals. Due to the unrest and road blockages, civilian cars have not been able to reach hospitals in many places. With 165 of its ambulances and other vehicles mobilized, the Red Cross has also provided medical transportation to hospitals to dialysis and cancer patients as well as others in need of urgent treatment. “Since day one of the protests, we have been responding to around 3500 emergencies all over the country in addition to our regular, ongoing services. So far, we have supported around 8000 people affected by the situation. Our volunteers are well known and respected because of their neutrality, impartiality and commitment to serve humanity. We will remain on high alert and continue to support people in need”, says Georges Kettaneh, Lebanese Red Cross Secretary General. The Lebanese Red Cross Blood Transfusion Centres have also scaled up their services. Over one thousand blood units have been provided and distributed to hospitals all over the country.

The Lebanese Red Cross is providing first aid and emergency medical transportation to hospitals for people who took to the streets across Lebanon. “Our teams remain in full alert to respond the unfolding emergency. We have mobilized more than 1,000 paramedics and 160 ambulances all over Lebanon,” said Georges Kettaneh, Lebanese Red Cross Secretary General. Since 16 October, the Red Cross has responded to 1,160 emergency cases. More than 617 people have been taken care of in Red Cross centres and 142 units of blood have been provided by transfusion services. “As civilian cars were unable to cross the checkpoints, we provided transportation to 258 patients needing kidney dialysis, MRI and urgent hospital treatment of which 46 cancer patients were transported from Northern Lebanon to the Saint Jude Hospital in Beirut.” The Red Cross called on demonstrators to facilitate its movement to be able to continue saving lives.

By Rana Sidani Cassou Iraq Red Crescent Society relief operations to support people affected by recent demonstrations in the country have received a boost from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). More than 150,000 Swiss francs have been released from IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to help the Iraq Red Crescent to continue its humanitarian support. Since the start of the protests on 1 October, more than 200 Iraq Red Crescent volunteers have been mobilized to provide first aid to the injured, give psychosocial support, and medical evacuations. A total of nine branches have been involved in the response. The demonstrations have involved clashes that have resulted in several deaths, and many thousands of people have been injured. The emergency fundswillfurther strengthen IRCS capacity and ensurecontinuity of first aid and pre-hospital care topeople atriskof being affected bypossible unrest in themain cities of the country. Meanwhile, and in the coming three days, millions of people from around the world are expected to arrive at Karbala city, 100 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, to visit the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas. Some of the pilgrims make their journey on foot from cities as far asBasra, about 500 kilometers away. “Every year, we mobilize all our volunteers and employees to minimize the risks that might arise during this mass gathering,” said Dr. Yaseen Abbas, President of IRCS. “Some people walk for days including elderly, children and patients suffering from chronic diseases. We provide them with first aid, medical treatment all along their journey.” With the participation of more than 2,000 staff and volunteers, IRCS installed more than 100 emergency health mobile and fixed posts in Karbala and on the roads that leads to it. So far more than 24,000 people have benefited from IRCS first aid, blood pressure measurement, evacuation to hospitals and awareness activities. The location where pilgrims will arrive at the end of their journey is only accessible by foot. For that reason, more than 100 volunteers are there ready with stretches to evacuate people suffering from fatigue to the ambulances parked nearby. Two mobile hospitals have been deployed to the area as well. In addition, more than 50 volunteers have one task: look for missing people, mainly children, who might be separated from their parents because of the huge number of people gathered in the same place.

Kuala Lumpur/Geneva, 6 September 2019 – As many as 5.3 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are potentially at risk as Typhoon Lingling works its way towards the country’s south west [1]. Mohamed Babiker, Head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Country Office in DPRK, said: “We are concerned about the potentially serious impact that Typhoon Lingling could have when it makes landfall on Saturday. Last year, despite not even making landfall, typhoon Soulik displaced nearly 60,000 people.” “Strong winds, flash floods and landslides pose risk of serious injury and loss of life, damage to homes and infrastructure and destruction of vital crops. And Typhoon Lingling represents just the latest in a long line of challenges that communities in DPR Korea face, including severe food shortages as a result of ongoing drought.” DPRK Red Cross has activated its early warning and preparedness systems and will, with the help of its extensive network of volunteers, issue storm alerts to potentially affected communities in North and South Hwanghae, as well as up to 4-5 additional provinces based on the forecasts. Red Cross volunteers and national and provincial disaster response teams are on standby to help with search and rescue, evacuation, first aid, distribution of emergency items and activities to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases. To support this preparedness work, IFRC has released 56,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to help mobilize emergency supplies such as tarpaulins, cooking sets, quilts, hygiene kits, water containers, water purification tablets and shelter tools. These items are in strategically-placed warehouses throughout the country and can be quickly dispatched as needed. [1] Source: Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System

Budapest, 18 July 2019 – Hungarian Red Cross is helping 7,200 people affected by severe storms in late June, with financial and technical assistance from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). IFRC has contributed 230,000 Swiss francs (67.3 million Hungarian forints) from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to allow Hungarian Red Cross to assist 2,400 families with food, sanitary kits and construction materials. The storm hit eastern Hungary on 27 June, causing serious damage in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, particularly in the settlements of Nyírmada, Nyírkarász, Pusztadobos and Rétközberencs. 2,500 rooftops were destroyed by the rain, and 30 families had to be evacuated as their homes became uninhabitable. The storm also ravaged kitchen gardens and crops, jeopardizing the livelihoods of many families. Together with local authorities and civil society groups, the local branch of Hungarian Red Cross immediately deployed 30 staff and volunteers who helped remove debris and cleaned the roads. István Kardos, Director General of the Hungarian Red Cross said: "With our network of volunteers on the ground we are able to help quickly and efficiently in such situations. Although the immediate needs were met, full recovery in the affected communities will require a lot more time and resources. Therefore, we are launching a fundraising campaign to help as many families as possible.” With the IFRC emergency funds, Hungarian Red Cross will distribute one month’s supply of dry food as well as sanitary cleaning kits for 2,400 families. It will also supply construction materials for skilled volunteers to do temporary repairs to damaged roofs. The humanitarian operation started today at Nyírmada, where Hungarian Red Cross volunteers and local government staff started the distribution of aid to the affected families. Elkhan Rahimov, IFRC’s acting Regional Director for Europe said: “As a result of climate change, extreme weather events are occurring more frequently in Europe. This poses a challenge to humanitarian organizations as society’s most vulnerable are often the ones who are most exposed to forces of nature.” Background information: Photos of the damage are available here. Those wishing to contribute to Hungarian Red Cross storm local appeal can do so here. Hungarian Red Cross is a member of the IFRC. One of the key disaster management tools available for members is the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Following a disaster, within 48 hours, emergency funding can be applied for and distributed, enabling Red Cross staff and volunteers on the ground to respond quickly.

When a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society receives a forecast of an imminent extreme weather event, one of their most urgent tasks is to decide what action to take in anticipation of a possible disaster. In the case of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, this decision-making process has become clearer and more straightforward, thanks to its improved use of scientific information, as was shown in recent weeks before the arrival of Cyclone Fani. Since 2015, the Bangladesh Red Crescent has been using a Forecast-based Financing (FbF) approach with support from the German Red Cross. As a result, when Cyclone Fani approached, decision-makers could rely on an established system which provided them with robust forecast information and served as a basis to decide, when and where to act and with what resources. The Bangladesh National Society, with support from the German Red Cross and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre, had developed an Early Action Protocol for cyclones. This plan clearly defines forecast thresholds and details which early actions are needed, and where, to protect the population. In the days before Cyclone Fani made landfall, the Bangladesh Red Crescent set up an Activation Committee in line with its established procedures for activating the Early Action Protocol. Its role was to continuously review the meteorological data and decide if according to the forecast information the trigger for activation was met. The Activation Committee is chaired by the Deputy Secretary General of the Bangladesh Red Crescent and also includes experts from the Cyclone Preparedness Programme, the Climate Centre, German Red Cross, and IFRC. Activation of the Bangladesh EAP is being funded by the IFRC’s financial mechanism to support early action, the Forecast based Action by the DREF, which was created in May 2018. Based on the forecast information, the local branches in the coastal districts activated their control rooms, mobilized their resources, volunteers and officials for early warning and preparation of evacuation shelters. Eight members of the National Disaster Response Team were deployed in four districts (Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat and Barguna) to support the activities being conducted. In two districts, local branches with German Red Cross support also undertook a rapid stock-taking of local markets to ascertain if they were able to supply the food and relief items that would be required in case of an activation. In addition, a database of the cyclone shelters, markets and accessibility was used by all stakeholders in preparation for Cyclone Fani. The database had been developed by the FbF project and proved to be very useful in preparing districts in the cyclone’s path for evacuation, and in obtaining real-time information from the shelters through the contacts listed. The Activation Committee met several times before deciding not to activate the Early Action Protocol, as the forecasts did not meet the trigger that had been defined in the EAP and all the data and analysis suggested that the forecasted impact could be managed with resources from the local branch. Had the Committee decided for activation, the EAP Implementation Committee was there to coordinate and implement the EAP and districts were ready. Thanks to the work on FbF, there was a clear framework for decision-making and the systematic monitoring of forecasts allowed the preparations to focus on those districts that were later affected by rains, using resources efficiently. All these actions as well as the structures for coordination demonstrate the importance of forecast-based financing in supporting readiness activities and bringing all affected parties together to take anticipatory action.

Afghan Red Crescent volunteers and staff are still hard at work distributing food parcels, blankets, tarpaulins and other support to affected communities devastated by dramatic flooding across the country in March and April. The most recent distribution was in Hilmand province, where around 1,000 food parcels were brought to communities in need. Even before the floods, drought had left 6.3 million people in Afghanistan in desperate need of humanitarian aid and protection. Countless people are facing an uncertain and precarious future after three years of drought caused land degradation and desertification, lower agricultural production, economic hardship, hunger and loss of life. Some 287,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. To respond to continuing floods – and ever-growing humanitarian needs - IFRC scaled up its emergency appeal seeking 8 million Swiss francs to support the Afghan Red Crescent Society in providing humanitarian assistance to 675,000 people affected by flood and drought for 12 months. Our operation includes activities in shelter, health and care; water, sanitation and hygiene; livelihoods and basic needs, and disaster risk reduction. The humanitarian needs are increasing daily and therefore require a collective effort. However, the emergency appeal remains heavily under-funded.

Powerful Cyclone Fani, at its worst an “extremely severe” storm, brought heavy rainfall and winds of 209 km/h to communities across India and Bangladesh. About 15 deaths have been reported so far, and hundreds of homes are likely to have been damaged. As a massive clean-up operation gets under way in the affected areas of India and Bangladesh, the Red Cross and Red Crescent are assessing what help people need. Roads are being cleared and communication lines restored, although it might be up to two weeks for full connection to be restored to some remote areas. Staff and volunteers in Bangladesh and India are coordinating with the authorities and partners to support the affected communities. The approach of the cyclone - one of the strongest storms to hit the Indian subcontinent in decades - was met with intense disaster preparedness work by the Indian Red Cross Society and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. Tens of millions of people in the cyclone’s path received warnings. In India, about 1.1 million people were evacuated away from the coast; in Bangladesh, 1.6 million were evacuated. In India and Bangladesh, in coordination with government agencies, staff and volunteers issued warnings to communities at risk. The Indian Red Cross opened 65 shelters in Odisha state, and helped vulnerable people to evacuate. More than 15,000 people stayed in Red Cross shelters. In the hours before Fani hit, final preparations were in full swing to keep people safe. In the Indian state of Odisha in the path of Fani, Indian Red Cross staff and 1,500 volunteers trained in first aid, disaster management and rescue passed on life-saving early warning messages to some of 20 million people in at-risk districts. Among the messages: Try not to panic. Listen to the radio and follow instructions. We will help. The Red Cross is here with you. Bangladesh’s renowned and life-saving cyclone preparedness system swung into full action. Volunteers in the Red Crescent/government cyclone preparedness programme alerted communities and provided information about the threats, potential impact and dangers through social media, megaphones and loudspeakers, and helped vulnerable people to evacuate. An estimated 50,000 cyclone preparedness community volunteers were involved.

Beira/Nairobi/Geneva, 18 March 2019 — The scale of damage caused by cyclone Idai that hit the Mozambican city of Beira is massive and horrifying. This is the initial assessment of a team of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) aid workers that reached the devastated city yesterday. Jamie LeSueur, who is leading the IFRC assessment team into Beira, said the following after taking part in a Red Cross aerial assessment: “The situation is terrible. The scale of devastation is enormous. It seems that 90 per cent of the area is completely destroyed.” The IFRC team that arrived yesterday was among the first to arrive in Beira since Idai made landfall on 14/15 March. With Beira’s airport closed, the team drove from the capital Maputo before taking a helicopter for the last part of the journey. Roads into Beira have been cut off by flooding. While the physical impact of Idai is beginning to emerge, the human impact is unclear. “Almost everything is destroyed. Communication lines have been completely cut and roads have been destroyed. Some affected communities are not accessible,” said LeSueur. “Beira has been severely battered. But we are also hearing that the situation outside the city could be even worse. Yesterday, a large dam burst and cut off the last road to the city.” Following its landfall in Mozambique Cyclone Idai continued west to Zimbabwe as a Tropical Storm, wreaking havoc in several districts in the eastern part of the country, with Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in Manicaland Province being the hardest-hit. At least 31 deaths have been reported and over 100 people are missing in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is the latest country in Southern Africa to be hit by heavy rains and violent winds, after Malawi and Mozambique. The death toll in the three countries is currently estimated at 150. But this number is likely to change as the full extent of the damage becomes clear. More heavy rain is also anticipated and this may lead to further devastation. IFRC has already released about 340,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund which will go towards an initial response effort for about 7,500 people. However, given the scale of the disaster, more resources may be needed to support Mozambique Red Cross efforts on the ground. Already, the team in Beira has identified shelter, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene as priorities.

Panama/Geneva, 20 February 2019 – More than 320,000 Swiss francs have been released from an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) emergency fund to help the Haiti Red Cross Society respond to violent civil unrest in the country. Large protests have been held across the country since the start of 2019, and a state of economic emergency was declared on 5 February. IFRC has made 321,861 Swiss francs available from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Haiti Red Cross’ humanitarian operation, which will help 5,500 of the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis. Walter Cotte, Director of IFRC’s Regional Office for the Americas, said: “Our priority is to ensure that the Haiti Red Cross is able to help as many people as possible with food, water and basic medical services during this emergency. “The Haiti Red Cross is neutral and impartial, and its volunteers and staff are from the communities affected by the unrest. They are best placed to know where and how to help people in need, and have been actively responding since the outset.” Haiti’s unrest began in October 2018 but has worsened in recent weeks, with a series of protests against the high cost of living and ongoing economic uncertainty. The country has struggled to recover from a series of devastating disasters and crises, including 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, an earthquake in October 2018, and cholera outbreaks. A major earthquake in January 2010 killed more than 200,000 people and devastated the capital Port-au-Prince.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent’s first ever Early Action Protocol funded by IFRC’sForecast-based Action by the DREF – which will useforecast-based financingto support herder families in the high Andes region of Peru – is now in place and ready for activation. The protocol is designed to help herder families to protect their lives and livelihoods during periods of extreme cold weather. The early action will be activated based on a five-day climate forecast, which will give the Peruvian Red Cross a period of four days to act before the start of an extreme cold wave. This EAP was developed by the Peruvian Red Cross with support from the German Red Cross, the German Foreign Office, IFRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and is designed to shift humanitarian action from response to anticipation – a shift that could save lives and dramatically reduce costs compared to traditional emergency relief.