Since May 2024, South Sudan has experienced significant flooding, caused by heavy rainfall and the bursting of the Nile River banks. The floods have affected more than 700,000 people, caused extensive damage to homes and devastated livestock and crops.Through this emergency appeal, the IFRC and its membership aim to address the urgent needs of 300,000 people through health, WASH, shelter and livelihoods interventions.
It was during a high tide in early January when a tragic incident unfolded on the shores of Mualim Island, located in the Duke of York Islands in the eastern part of Papua New Guinea.A toddler, just a year and a half old, was playing on the beach with other children when the waves grew stronger and swept the child into the sea. A woman walking along the shore saw the child floating in the water and let out a desperate scream for help.The child's mother rushed into the water and pulled the baby out in a desperate attempt to save the boy’s life. In a moment of panic, she handed the baby to a nearby man, who held the child upside down in an attempt to expel the water out of the child’s body—a common but dangerous misconception on the island.Fortunately, not far away, Elizabeth Hensel was at home when she heard the screams and shouting. She ran as fast as she could to the scene.“I told the man to lay the baby down, and quickly checked the pulse, and started CPR,”Elizabeth recalls. “After two rounds of chest compression, the baby regained consciousness and spat out all the water.”“I advised the mother to take the child to the health centre for observation. Today, the baby is alive and well.”Training to the testA mother of six, Elizabeth had recently participated in a Community-Based First Aid training conducted by the Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society (PNG Red Cross).The trainings were done as part of a project that focuses on locally led adaptation to climate change as well asensuring everyone in the community is included and fully protected. The project is funded by the Japanese Red Cross Society through the IFRC’s Papua New Guinea country delegation.This training didn’t just equip Elizabeth with skills—it empowered her to save lives and promote health and safety in her Island village. Elizabeth is one of 37 people who recently participated in the training.Climate change: a growing threatElizabeth’s story is also a stark reminder of the challenges her community faces. Rising sea levels are swallowing their island, inch by inch.“The sea is moving inward, and the island is becoming smaller,” Elizabeth explains. “But our population is growing, so the density is increasing. We have nowhere to go because this is our customary land.”This is one reason the Papua New Guinea Red Cross, with support from the IFRC, is carrying out the PNG Locally Led Climate Action Project across five provinces in Papua New Guinea. The project aims to address climate change and promote community-based disaster risk reduction. It also focuses on empoweringwomen and youth through activities that encourage gender equity, food security and environment sustainability.The impacts of climate change are felt daily. Families in the island now pay 10 kin (2.15 Swiss francs) monthly to rent land on the main island for backyard gardening, as their own land is shrinking in size, leaving no space for planting food crops.Children risk their lives canoeing to school on neighboring islands, battling rising tides and unpredictable weather. “When the sea levels rise, it becomes harder and riskier for our children to commute,” Elizabeth says. “We are trapped between the sea and the sky.”Promoting community health and safetyElizabeth’s Health and first aid skills have made her an advocate in her island community motivated by struggles of the past. She now educates other mothers on the importance of never leaving children unattended.“Before we received the training, we lost three babies while trying to refer them to the nearest hospital,” she shares. “It takes 45 minutes by dinghy or 1-2 hours by canoe. Now, we can save lives immediately. We regret not having this knowledge sooner.”The training also covered childbirth, a critical skill in a community where 2-3 babies are born each month. “Before, mothers would struggle to deliver babies as the nearest health centre is on another nearby island,” Elizabeth explains. “Now, we have the knowledge to help deliver babies safely here if we are not able to go to the health centre on time.”Elizabeth’s story is a powerful reminder of the importance of locally led climate adaptation and building resilience in isolated communities. “We would like to undergo similar trainings in the future, especially on climate change and PGI,” she says. “Refresher trainings would also help us retain and expand on what we have learned.”Story and photo by Bradley Asa, communications and dissemination officer for the Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society.Learn more about first aid throughout the IFRC network.Learn more about the IFRC's approach to community health
In the remote corners of Benin and Togo, a transformation is taking place.With support from the Benin and Togo Red Cross Societies, groups of mothers have joined forces to deliver life-changing interventions that mitigatethe impacts ofclimate change,combat deforestation, improve nutrition andimprove people’s health.Welcome to the Mothers’ Clubs of Benin and Togo, where women are joining forces with local volunteers, young students, teachers and others to reduce fuel consumption, plant trees and sew crops adapted to shorter growing seasons,One of the key projects involves the way food is prepared in many rural communities.Womenin the Mothers’ Clubs, for example,are being trained tomakeand use improved cookstoves, which reduce firewood consumption and harmful smoke. This innovation not only eases their daily struggles but also curbs deforestation and air pollution.“Before, we used stoves made of stones, which caused us a lot of trouble,” says Dgniri Ouseni, a community member from Kara, Togo. “Those stoves consumed so much firewood, and firewood was becoming scarce.”“With these new energy-efficient stoves, one piece of firewood is enough to cook a meal. Our struggles have been reduced.”Beyond improved cookstoves, training in disaster preparedness, short-cycle seed farming, and reforestation have empowered communities to tackle climate challenges head-on.Mothers' Clubs are not unique to Togo and Benin. Set up by women in local communities with support from the Red Cross, they respond to the particular challenges their communities are facing.In Nigeria, Mothers Clubs address acute malnutrition by teaching new mothers about the importance of breastfeeding and better ways to use local cereals. Mothers Club members also become Red Cross volunteers and usually have a Red Cross coordinator who supports their activities.In Benin, they also supported efforts to plant over 21,000 trees in schools, villages, and communal areas. These trees are true multi-taskers: They combat soil erosion and provide nutritional and economic benefits, are symbols of hope.“They welcomed the initiative warmly. On the day we began planting the trees, we couldn’t manage the rush, everyone wanted to participate, including the teachers,” recalls Fagnihou Kokouvi, Deputy Headmaster of CEG Abomey.The trees’ benefits extend beyond the present.“The impact on future generations is obvious,”notes Frabrice Soutin, the local Red Cross President in Abomey. “Two or three years from now, the children on this field will benefit from the shade of these trees to protect them from the sun.”Across both countries, volunteers and community leaders have received training on disaster preparedness, climate resilience, and natural resource management.In Togo, the Togolese Red Cross supported 920 members of Mothers' Clubs and Men’s Committees, fostering environmental awareness and sustainable practices.“The Mothers’ Clubs were trained on techniques for making improved stoves and on how to avoid cutting down trees unnecessarily,” says Addom Aklesso, project manager for the Togo Red Cross. “They’ve also learned to monitor local indicators that signal floods, so they can prepare their villages.”In addition to these climate-focused interventions, displaced households and vulnerable families in northern Benin received life-saving aid, including food kits, cooking tools, and mosquito nets.Training in short-cycle seeds like maize and tomatoes – which produce fruit relatively quickly – has enhanced food security despite increasingly unpredictable weather patterns that have shortened the usual growing season.With funding from the Bureau for Humanitarian Affairs (BHA) of USAID and support from the IFRC, these projects have reached thousands, from volunteers and mothers’ clubs to schoolchildren and displaced families.For Aklesso Quentin Adom, who leads the project for the Togo Red Cross in the north of Togo, the progress so far gives him hope.“If all these plants are maintained and they reach maturity, this will allow us to have good rainfall in the locality, in the region,” he says. “Beyond that, communities will be more resilient, poverty will be reduced because at the level of mothers' clubs and men's committees, we will identify the income-generating activities of members to enable them to participate in the needs of the household. This is the long-term impact that all these interventions will have in local communities.”
Originally from Colombia, Kennis Eduardo Díaz lost his home and all his possessions in the fires. With nowhere else to go, he found refuge at a newly-created, temporary shelter operated by the American Red Cross.The shelter in this case is a section of the Pasadena Convention Center. Normally a place for large business gatherings and trade shows, the center’s massive rooms have been transformed into a temporary shelter for hundreds of evacuees.Here, Kennis has received more than just meals and a safe place to sleep. He’s also found a path toward recovery thanks to the support of local Red Cross volunteers.“They’re giving me the help I didn’t have,” Kennis shared.One of those volunteers isGracie Castro, from the San Bernardinochapter of the American Red Cross and part of a team thathelps evacuees like Kennis with tackling administrative tasks,findingfinancial assistance, and getting referrals to services that help homeowners and renters find longer-term housing solutions, among other things.“My role is to see how we can get him where he wants to go,” said Gracie.Stories ofresilience andkindnessBlanca Pérez’s story is another testament to the power of community and compassion.Along with her husband Antonio, her daughter, and her daughter’s boyfriend, Blanca had toevacuate theirapartment inAltadena with their pets in tow, leaving behind their home and Blanca’s beloved dress shop.Days later, they learned boththeir home and the dress shophad been destroyed by the flames.Despite this profound loss, Blanca found solace in the support provided by the Red Cross. When she received news of her uncle’s passing due to the fires, a volunteer offered immediate emotional support,supportingher through her grief and connecting her with spiritual care services.“I’ve made new friends at the shelter, and the Red Cross volunteers have shown such kindness and genuine interest in our well-being,” Blanca shared. Small gestures, like receiving knitting supplies to keep her hands busy, have brought moments of peace amid the chaos.These are just two of the many stories unfolding at Red Cross shelters around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In total, about 580 people are staying in Red Cross emergency shelters and each person has a unique set of needs. So far, the Red Cross has provided more than 11,300 overnight stays and more than 102,000 meals and snacks with the support of its partners.Volunteersfrom around the countryThe Red Cross’s response to the Southern California wildfires would not be possible withoutthe support ofvolunteers from around the country. Fernando Fernández, a disaster services volunteer from the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter, traveled to California to offer spiritual care to people who were forced to evacuate.A 15-year volunteer and U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Fernando understands the importance of being a comforting presence. “Most of the people I’ve helped just need someone to listen,” he said. Over 60 per cent of people he’s supported in this crisis have been Hispanic, he says, underscoring the vital role of culturally sensitive care in disaster response.Beyondshelter:there for the long runThe Red Cross’ssupport extends beyond immediate shelter. Financial assistance programs are now underway for residentsin numerous municipalities that have been severely impacted by the fires.This financial aid helps evacuees cover basic needs, from replacing hygiene products to purchasing appropriate clothing.All services are available to individuals regardless of nationality, race, gender, or citizenship status, reaffirming the organization’s commitment to inclusivity.“If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask the Red Cross,” urged Fernando,the volunteer from theTexas Gulf Coast Chapter,echoing a sentiment shared by many volunteers and survivors.As communities start rebuilding after the wildfires, the Red Cross remains steadfast in its mission to provide hope, safety, and resources to those in need. Indeed, those needs are immense and are likely not to diminish even as the fires are contained.Over 16,000 structures have been destroyed by the fires so people will be in need of temporary shelter for some time. Meanwhile, anticipated rains pose the prospectof new threats — flash flooding and landslides over the burn-scarred areas.Whatever the case, the Red Cross will remain by the side of people in need. Some 580 Red Cross responders are making sure people are not alone.As communities reopen, meanwhile, Red Crossers are also there with support including cleaning supplies, flashlights, face masks, gloves, water and other essentials. Almost 22,000 relief items were provided by end of January.
Panama/Geneva, 19 December – In response to escalating threats posed by the climate crisis, increasing disasters and biodiversity loss, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has announced the reactivation of its Amazon Programme, The Red Cross Alliance for the Amazon.This initiative, initially uniting the National Red Cross Societies of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, aims to enhance community resilience and support those affected by climate impacts in the Amazon rainforest. The Red Cross’s local presence and global reach make it a key partner in protecting Amazonian communities and ecosystems. With branches and volunteers embedded in all nine Amazonian countries, the Red Cross combines deep local knowledge with expertise in risk reduction, climate resilience, and humanitarian operations to address the region’s growing needs.The Amazon, home to 10% of all known species and responsible for generating 20% of the world’s oxygen, is nearing a tipping point. Deforestation, wildfires, and extractive activities—compounded by extreme climate events such as floods, fires and prolonged droughts—threaten the lives and the livelihoods of over 40 million people, including 350 groups of Indigenous Peoples.“At the heart of our proposal is the convergence of indigenous knowledge, Red Cross experience, and technological and research developments. This formula, implemented in close coordination with states, indigenous peoples and other stakeholders, will maximise efforts to strengthen community resilience andanticipate and respond to crises affecting Amazonian populations”, said Xavier Castellanos, IFRC Under Secretary General, National Society Development and Operations Coordination.The Red Cross Alliance for the Amazon focuses on disaster risk management and climate resilience, community health, sustainable livelihoods and response to disasters and climate displacement. Harmonising, maximising and streamlining the Red Cross work in these areas will help anticipate and reduce the impact of hazards which could be exacerbated by the climate crisis in the coming years.From January to August this year alone, fires destroyed 62,268 square kilometres of the Amazon, an area twelve times the size of the city of London. Compounded by a historic drought, this devastation has severely affected access to health and food and increased the risk of climate-induced displacement.Faced with such multi-crisis scenarios, the Red Cross is already working in several communities in the Amazon. In Ecuador, volunteers are working with indigenous peoples to implement agricultural techniques that reduce the risk of droughts, contributing to income diversification and ecosystem restoration to improvefood and economic security.In Colombia, the Red Cross provides health care and access to medicines in remote and hard-to-reach areas.The Red Cross Alliance for the Amazon builds upon solid experience. Red Cross Societies in Amazonian countries havecollaborated with over 53 Amazonian communities to promote community health and reduce the risk of disasters. This new effort seeks to scale up these successes while aligning with the IFRC’s global expertise in climate resilience and disaster management. For more information and to set up an interview, please contact: [email protected] In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes +50769993199 In Geneva: Tommaso Della Longa +41797084367 / Hannah Copeland +41762369109
Dengue has been a major public health threat in Latin America for decades, with epidemics occurring cyclically every three to five years. Transmitted by female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the virus affects millions of people every year, but never more than now.So far this year,more than 12.7 million suspected cases of dengue were reported in the Region of the Americas, a record number in the history of the disease.In Central America and Mexico, more than 17,000 new suspected cases of dengue were reported in the last week of November alone. This equates to 100 cases every hour, a 198 per cent increase over the average over the past five years.This increase in the spread of dengue poses a challenge to health systems in a region facing complex climatic and health conditions.The effects of the climate crisis, extreme temperatures and more intense weather events – such as hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020, the historic heat waves earlier this year, or the recent tropical storm Sara – are changing the habits of thousands of Central American families living in conditions of risk and vulnerability.Growing poverty and inequality, coupled with insufficient and inadequate water and sanitation services, are forcing people to store what little water they have access to. Water is often stored improperly, due to a lack of information or the lack of adequate means to store it safely.This and other practices, such as poor solid waste management, can facilitate the creation of mosquito breeding sites in items such as uncovered water containers, tires, flowerpots, piles and gutters.Amid this multi-factorial challenge, National Red Cross Societies from around the Central American region have engaged in a comprehensive response, which encompasses a variety of strategies focused on prevention and education.During 2023 and 2024, local Red Cross teams have implemented six dengue response operations in Central America, with support from the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF).This year, dengue response efforts have also been carried out in operations in response to a hospital fire in Roatan, Honduras, and flooding in June in El Salvador.Thanks to these eight IFRC-DREF operations, National Societies in the region will be able to reach more than 182,000 people in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama with response actions, but also with prevention for future outbreaks.Community-based preventionOne of the Red Cross' main initiatives has been to raise community awareness of the dangers of dengue and the importance of eliminating mosquito breeding sites.Volunteers work directly in communities, in coordination with health authorities, to carry out community-based prevention and vector control activities.The main activities include educational talks, identification and elimination of mosquito breeding sites, application of larvicide in stacks and water containers, fumigation and cleaning campaigns, and home visits.These activities teach people how to avoid stagnant water, where mosquitoes prefer to lay their eggs, and promote practical and effective measures such as turning over containers and regularly cleaning drainage systems.The response also includes the distribution of safe water storage containers and household cleaning kits, as well as water filters, repellents and mosquito nets for groups at risk, such as pregnant women, children under five, the elderly, and people with disabilities and/or reduced mobility.Strong and prepared communitiesThe Red Cross has a long-term focus on training local staff to strengthen community capacity to fight dengue.Through workshops and training sessions, volunteers learn how to recognize the symptoms of dengue, how to effectively prevent outbreaks and how to implement sustainable mosquito control programs.Volunteers have also helped to establish and train community health committees to promote epidemiological surveillance at the community level.In several locations, local health workers are also being trained in the clinical management of dengue patients, especially in areas where health infrastructure is limited.Through its comprehensive approach to education and prevention, the Red Cross has played a key role in the fight against dengue in Central America, a region highly vulnerable due to climatic, social and health factors.The actions carried out by volunteers and trained staff have not only allowed the response to emergencies, but also to prepare communities for future outbreaks.From eliminating breeding sites and distributing supplies to training in clinical management and sustainable vector control strategies, these interventions have built community resilience. In some places, the actions of the National Red Cross Societies in support of the health ministries in the region have led to reductions in dengue cases.In Panama, for example, there has been a reduction in dengue cases in recent weeks, which could be linked to the efforts of several actors, including the Ministry of Health, the Panamanian Red Cross, other international agencies and the communities themselves.Some small communities have also provided anecdotal accounts that suggest the dengue education and eradication efforts are making a difference.Despite the progress, dengue remains a challenge, underscoring the importance of continuing to adapt our response strategies to the climatic and social changes affecting public health in the region.
The impacts are everywhere to be seen. Once lush fields of green crops are now dusty brown tracts of withered stalks. Businesses and restaurants have shut their doors. Livestock look weak and emaciated.These are just a few of the visible impacts of the prolonged drought that is turning the lives of millions of Zambians upside down as people face serious issues of food scarcity, livestock and crop loss, and escalating economic hardships.In response to the mounting crisis, ZRCS launched the Drought Cash Assistance Program in Chikankata District in November 2024 a critical initiative aimed at helping families survive the severe drought.Through this program, 5,864 families receive 600 Zambian Kwacha (roughly 20 US dollars) per month for four months, allowing them to meet immediate needs like food and water.At a time when inflation has driven up the cost of basic goods, this assistance is more than a financial boost—it’s a source of relief and resilience for families struggling to get by day-to-day.The impact extends beyond Chikankata. In Sinazongwe District, where the drought’s devastation is particularly acute, the Zambia Red Cross launched a program of multi-purpose cash transfers, along with support that helps farmers grow their winter crops.Since August 2024, over 5,200 households have benefited, with access to essential farming supplies—maize, okra seeds, and fertilizers—that offer them a way to revive their livelihoods. This initiative empowers local farmers to bring life back to their land, giving them a chance to rebuild and restore their communities.Supported by the IFRC, the European Union's ECHO Programmatic Partnership project, and bilateral aid from the Czech Republic, this work is part of a broader ZRCS response across five drought-affected districts.With approximately 1.5 million Swiss Francs mobilized, more than 11,000 households across Zambia are receiving critical assistance, spanning food security, livelihoods, health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support.A lifeline of hope and survivalFor families in these regions, this cash assistance is more than just financial aid—it’s a pathway to survival and stability. Ninety-year-old Musambo Sianjonkoma, unable to seek food on her own, says the support has had a profound impact.“At my age, I can’t go out and look for food,”Musambo says. “This support will help me eat.”For her and thousands of others, the program brings not only food but dignity and peace of mind.In Sinazongwe, farmer Wisdom Lubinda received maize and okra seeds and other support for winter crops.“The seeds they provided were like hope in a packet,” says Wisdom, adding that the chance of a successful harvest offers the promise of funding his siblings’ education and securing his family’s future.For 27-year-old Anita Maalila from Upper Kaleya, the drought meant the end of her small restaurant—the only income source for her and her two children after her husband left.Declared a national disaster, the crisis decimated agriculture and left Anita struggling with small-scale farming to survive. Hope arrived through the emergency cash assistance program. With 600 Kwacha a month, Anita plans to grow potatoes and maize to rebuild her livelihood.“This assistance is a blessing,” she shared, her voice filled with renewed determination.An appeal to save livesTo support the critical work of the ZRCS through this severe droughts, the IFRC issued an emergency appealto scale up the response. The support from the appeal is key to providing the cash transfers and crop support, which help protect what little people have left while offering a foundation on which to rebuild.These lifelines are urgent, says ZRCS Secretary-General Cosmas Sakala."We’re facing a devastating double threat in Zambia: a crippling drought has caused farmers to lose 80 per cent of their crops, and a cholera outbreak is putting immense strain on families,” Sakala noted. “I’ve seen the worry on people’s faces and heard their anguish, unsure where their next meal will come from.“Climate change is making these crises more frequent and severe. We are already responding with emergency cash transfers, food distribution, and hygiene kits, but we urgently need your help to scale up our support and reach the most vulnerable communities."
Kuala Lumpur/Yangon, 9 December – Myanmar is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis as it struggles to recover from the devastating impact of Typhoon Yagi in September, which caused severe flooding and landslides affecting over 1.1 million people across 70 townships.The typhoon has exacerbated a pre-existing humanitarian crisis, with 18 million people already in need of humanitarian assistance due to the compounding impacts of ongoing conflict and rising poverty due to lost livelihoods and a struggling economy, amidst back-to-back climate disasters.The destruction of more than 2.3 million hectares of agricultural land containing rice paddies and other crops, 176,000 livestock losses, and extensive damage to homes, schools, roads, and power infrastructure during the typhoon have pushed communities to the brink. Many vulnerable communities have also been left with limited access to essential services such as clean water, healthcare and sanitation.Families reliant on farming are facing food insecurity and prolonged economic hardship. Additionally, extensive flooding has left behind debris and contaminated water sources, compounding health risks and jeopardizing recovery efforts.Field visits and needs analysis conducted by the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) in October and November indicate that the most pressing needs include provision of food and basic needs, including cash assistance, shelter and household recovery, livelihood restoration and mental health and psychosocial support for communities coping with loss and displacement.In September, immediately after the floods, the IFRC and MRCS launched a 2.5 million CHF emergency appeal in response to the crisis to support 25,000 people over the next year, with MRCS mobilising over 400 volunteers and reaching more than 34,000 people with multi-sectoral assistance, including immediate lifesaving search and rescue efforts, evacuating those in danger from the floods.Between 18 September and 31 October, over 25,000 people received emergency shelter and household items, more than 34,000 people received heathcare support, 33,000 people received clean water and sanitation services, and more than 7,300 women and girls received dignity kits, containing vital female hygiene and toiletry items. The latest IFRC operational update has been published to provide more detailed information on the progress of the response.However, significant challenges continue to impede effective humanitarian operations in Myanmar, with restricted access remaining a major barrier, particularly in transporting essential non-food items to conflict-affected areas.The IFRC is calling for all stakeholders and humanitarian partners to collaborate and ensure a rapid and effective response to help affected communities recover and rebuild their lives.Operations Manager of the Myanmar Country Delegation for the IFRC, Christie Samosir, said:“Humanitarian principles drive our work. In line with global practice, the IFRC continues to support MRCS to engage with all parties to facilitate access and ensure that assistance reaches the vulnerable and crisis-affected population. Coordinated efforts like these are crucial during emergency for the humanitarian assistance to be delivered in time.”Moe Thida Win, Director of MRCS’s Disaster Management Department, added:“The floods caused by Typhoon Yagi have left many families in despair, with no homes, no clean water and no basic necessities. We must act now to address these urgent needs and prioritise the safety and dignity of affected populations.”The IFRC thanks its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners and its generous donors for their support and their commitment to providing urgent assistance and medium-term support for the communities in need. As we face an escalating climate emergency and a protracted crisis, our work is more critical than ever in helping communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from these frequent and increasingly severe disasters.The IFRC emergency appeal is currently 31% funded and requires additional support of 1.7 million CHF to fill the funding gap in order to reach more affected people and address the humanitarian needs. This is in addition to over 900,000 CHF contributed by member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies directly to the MRCS for its flood response, complementary to the IFRC emergency appeal.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] Yangon:Swe Zin Myo Win +95 97959 56050In Kuala Lumpur:Afrhill Rances, +60192713641In Geneva:Hannah Copeland, +41762369109
Climate change is hurting everyone in Ghana, but it’s hitting young people particularly hard, says Abudi Razak, volunteer and national youth president for the Ghana Red Cross. Droughts in the north and floods down south mean that crop yields and incomes are low, while the cost of living is skyrocketing. Young people see their futures evaporating. Razak’s response is to motivate young people take matters into their own hands. One example is something he calls “climate-preneurship”; projects that earn income while solving climate-related challenges. Razak was recently honored by the IFRC with its highest humanitarian award, named after its founder Henry Davison.
Baku, Azerbaijan (13 November 2024) – With unprecedented flooding, storms and heatwaves taking an ever-greater toll on communities around the world, the IFRC has joined key UN climate agenciesin sounding the alarm about a critical, but too often overlooked, front-line defence against the climate crisis: early warning and early action.The call came during a high-level event at COP29 that aimed to take stock of the progress made so far byEarly Warnings for All(EW4All), an initiative spearheaded by the United Nations. The initiative aims to scale up early warning and early action in countries most impacted by climate-related emergencies.As the global lead for Pillar 4 of the initiative — “Preparedness to respond to warnings” — the IFRC is working with the UN and a wide range of other EW4All partners to ensure that everyone on earth is protected by early warning systems by 2027.The high-level meeting convened the four pillar co-leads, including theWorld Meteorological Organization (WMO), theUN Office on Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), theInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the IFRC, as well as government representatives, humanitarian and environmental organizations, private-financing groups, and other key partners and supporters.Addressing the gathering, IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain said the world must not only increase funding for early warning, but also ensure investment reaches the local level, ensuring that communities most effected by the climate crises get the support they need."From satellites to sandbags, we’re building a seamless line of defence against climate risks,” Chapagain told the gathering. “Technology brings us early warnings from above, but it's the communities on the ground — filling sandbags and building resilience — who truly make these systems work.”The organizations represented at the meeting noted that the campaign is making progress, but they agreed that governments and finance organizations gathered at COP29 must deliver new climate finance goals to ensure the countries and communities most vulnerable to climate are adequately supported.UN Secretary General, António Guterres,who convened the event, noted that while the climate crisis impacts everyone, many countries suffer disproportionate consequences. One example is the increasing intensity of heatwaves.“This is on track to be the hottest year in the history books,” Guterres noted. “It has scorched countries and communities with temperatures that push the limits of human endurance. And around the world, we’ve seen record rains and hurricanes, historic fires, and deadly droughts.”“In this era of climate catastrophe, early warning systems and protection from extreme heat are not luxuries. They are necessities.”Beyond that, he noted, they are a sound investment, providing an almost ten-fold return, with standard occupational safety measures responding to extreme heat saving a potential US$360 billion a year. This sentiment was echoed by COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, who cited estimates that investment in early warnings could avert losses of up to US $16 billion per year.Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning SystemsThe good news is that, according to this year’s report on theGlobal Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS), the world is at its highest levels of reported early warning coverage since 2015.Conversely, there continues to be a disproportionate impact of disasters on different countries. The report shows that countries with less comprehensive MHEWS have a disaster-related mortality ratio that is nearly six times higher than that of countries with ‘substantial’ to ‘comprehensive’ coverage, and nearly four times more disaster-affected people.“Progress remains uneven. Half of the countries in Africa and only 40 per cent of countries in the Americas and the Caribbean have reported the existence of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems,” the report found. “But even among countries with such systems, many still have gaps in one or more of the four pillars: risk knowledge, forecasting and detection, warning dissemination, and early action.”Thirty countries were initially prioritized for fast-track action by the EW4ALL, but this has now been expanded. At the same time, new partners, including the private sector, are being brought on board to ensure broader reach and impact.The need is urgent. Modelled estimates show that between 2000 and 2019, approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred each year, with 45 per cent of these in Asia and 36 per cent in Europe. Worldwide, the official diagnosis and reporting of heat-related illness, injuries and deaths are recognized to be under-reported.The WHO and WMO estimate that the global scale-up of heat health-warning systems for 57 countries alone has the potential to save an estimated 98,314 lives per year.IFRC: invest in communities most impactedWhat does that investment in prevention look like on the ground? For the IFRC, which is leading on the preparedness pillar of the initiative, the key to success lies in matching investments in early warning with the capacity of local organizations to act on those warnings. This means making investments in building up local systems, capacities and community preparedness to expand coverage of early and anticipatory action.Addressing this need for investment, Chapagain also gave an overview of IFRC’s 5-year ambition for extreme heat through theGlobal Climate Resilience Platform, aiming to reach 100 million people in 100 cities, mobilizing 500 million CHF.The IFRC is also calling for greater investment in multi-sector local action for cities and communities to reduce heat risk. This includes heat action plans, shock-responsive social protection systems and nature-based solutions that help communities better adapt and reduce risks. All relevant partners also need to work together to define triggers, update regulations, and raise awareness.The IFRC and its network of 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are well placed to play a key role in the EW4ALL.“Our mission with Early Warnings for All is to connect global resources with local action,” Chapagain concluded, “so that every community, no matter how remote, is prepared for what lies ahead."
Extreme heat and prolonged heatwaves.Unprecedented floods and storms in every corner of the globe.Dry spells and storms that defy precedent.These are some of the ways climate change is having profound and sometimes devastating impacts on the health of people and communities around the world. As world leaders met at the COP29 climate summit being in Baku, Azerbaijan (11-22 November), IFRC is once again spotlighting what it sees every day through its emergency responses to sudden floods, extreme heatwaves, prolonged drought, economic crisis and hunger.Not only are people dying, losing homes and livelihoods, the climate crisis is having long-lasting impacts on people’s health and well-being. Extreme heatwaves, floods and storms are putting more and more people at risk of infectious diseases and malnutrition while reducing their access to care.“The impacts of the climate crisis are having a massive effect on people’s health,”IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagainsaid during the first day of the COP29 Conference. “So we must address the health impacts in a very comprehensive way.”Equally important is how and when those issues are addressed, he adds. Financing and investment on community health and preparedness must not only be increased, they must be directed to local communities where it is needed most.“The investment has to be at the right level and they must reach the right place,”Chapagain said. “At the moment, there is not enough investment and that investment is not reaching the community level. Less than ten percent of climate financing reaches the community level.“We need to be supporting community action on the ground, where people are living and facing the consequences every day.”That investment cannot wait until after disaster strikes. “How and when do you make that investment is also important,”he added. “If you make the investment early – with early warning systems oranticaptory actions -- it saves lives, livelihoods and dollars.”A burning issueCase in point is the growing threat of extreme heat. In recent years, global temperature records are being broken month after month, as climate change makes heatwaves – an already silent and deadly killer – more extreme. Every year, heat kills almost half a million people worldwide.Yet only 0.5 percent of multilateral climate adaptation finance goes to health measures that could drastically reduce that number. Such health measures could also improve people’s well-being and save money in the long run. By 2030, experts predict between USD two to four billion in additional health costs will be incurred if adaptation action is not taken now.Solutions involve a range of actions, from buildingclimate-resilient cities and health systems, to developing national heat-action plans andearly-warning early-action protocols. Other actions would ensure that social protection and health systems are responsive to climate-related shocks, while nature-based solutions could harness the natural protective power of ecosystems to shield communities from extreme heat or storm surges.“As climate impacts intensify, health systems must adapt to protect the most vulnerable,” said Petra Khoury, Director of IFRC’s Health and Care Department, speaking at a special COP29 event organized by the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), a programme hosted by WHO.“The IFRC network is on the frontlines, building climate-resilient health systems through community mobilization,” she said. "Solutions addressing the triple nexus of health, climate and migration should be community centered.“Bringing both host and displaced communities in the decision-making process and solutions is key to mitigating the impact of this nexus.”Among other things, the IFRC is working to scale up community level surveillance of climate–related diseases, deepen its existing community engagement efforts and broaden the scope of its work though a 'one health' approach.The ‘one health’ approach is a moreholistic way of improving human health by looking at the health of the environment in which people are living. For example, if livestock are rendered vulnerable to illness by heat, lack of food or water, that has a knock-on effect on human health. Up to 75 per cent of emerging infectious diseases that affect human beings start in animals.The IFRC is also heavily involved in street-by-street, house-by-house surveillance around diseases such as dengue, malaria and cholera, and many others, but climate change demands greater efforts in community engagement around disease tracking, prevention and response.To do all this, investments must be made at all levels – from national government budgets but also from multilateral development banks, multilateral climate funds, health financing institutions, bilateral development agencies, and private-sector actors.Putting this into action also means integrating health and heat action as part of a holistic approach to adaptation action in national climate plans, as well as enhancing coordination across government with local authorities, actors and communities.There have already been signs of progress. At COP28, the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience strengthened adaptation action while 151 countries signed the first-ever COP Climate and Health Declaration. And there is mounting awareness about the urgency of addressing the health impacts of heatwaves. IFRC continued to sound the alarm hosting the first Global Summit on Extreme Heat with our annual Heat Action Day on 2 June.Recent severe hurricanes – sometimes referred to as ‘monster storms’ – along with a spate of severe flooding in large parts ofEurope,Western and Central Africa, theAmericas andSoutheast Asia and Oceana are also showcasing the urgent need for this kind of local investment.These floods are displacing millions of people, leaving them without access to safe water and sanitation. Often the communities hit hardest also already are coping with limited access to safe water, sanitation, nutrition, healthcare and education.Whether COP29 is ultimately judged a success will depend on whether commitments are made toward reversing these realities with real investments in health, preparedness and early warning that reach the local level. “These are the three key areas – health, investment and timing – if we can make progress on these areas at COP29, I would see this as a success,” Chapagain concluded.More information:IFRC’s approach to health and careIFRC’s approach to the climate crisisWorld Meteorological Organization Early Warnings for All InitiativeIFRC Early Warnings for All page
The floodwaters came, but they never left. In the region around Bulacan, a provincial area in Luzon, in northern Philippines, many communities have been literally knee-deep in water for more than three months plus now.Water that overflowed the banks of a river that surged in July, has remained, covering the landscape in a shallow pool ever since.“We got used to the flood waters stagnating in our homes,” saysMeldrid Liodel, a 53-year-old single mother. “We have tried not to get stressed about it. It is very difficult to stand up [due to the water], especially the cleaning, the cleaningof our homes [is difficult].”“I have six children and seven grandchildren.If you ask why we do not just move away, this is where we were born, we grew up, we made families, and we continue to fight for our lives.”Meldrid, as well as all her neighbours and communities, are learning to live their daily lives in shin-deep water. They get around in narrow canoes and many received boats from the local government to help with their daily commutes.The gardening they do for daily sustenance has also changed radically. They’ve started planting vegetables that grow well on water, and they began open air-drying fish that they catch from their rooftops. The fish and vegetables they use to earn a small income and feed their families.“These floods here started happening way back when Mount Pinatubo erupted many years ago,”Meldrid adds.“Before this, we had crops, we had a lot of rice fields, the farmers could farm, the fishermen could fish well.”Mount Pinatubo is just more than 90 kilometers from Bulacan, Central Luzon, where Meldrid’s community lives. Many years after the eruption, they realised that the entire local irrigation network, as well as the water channels and infrastructure in the surrounding regions, had been damaged by the volcano. Ever since, thousands of communities were suffering from continuous floods that would never subside.The floods are a result of a combination of back flooding, high-tide, and water brought in from storms and typhoons. This has occurred more frequently in the past decade.Just the beginningYet, this is not the full story. The Philippines sits one of the most disaster-prone zones in the world. Yearly, the country experiences multiple typhoons, floods, volcanic activity, and even earthquakes.By late November 2024, a total of six typhoons had pounded the Philippines back-to-back in various regions, dumping onto its land copious amounts of rushing water and causing widespread destruction. While international aid is vital for humanitarian purposes, it is not immediate, and affected people are in dire need of help the very hour the disaster hits.The storms only intensified the already chronic flooding problem. “Typhoon Carina was very strong, and it was sudden,”says Amelia Torres, who stands with her husband in their living room, which has been carpeted in to two feet of water since July 2024. “It suddenly intensified and didn’t go away and it didn't stop. The floods didn't subside.”All their belongings are hanging on the walls, dangling from the ceiling, or are perched on top of shelves and tables. Their bed and mattress are in the living room, about one foot above the water. “Sometimes, it's only dry for just 3 months of the year,” she adds.Rapid response fund to the rescueThis is where the IFRC DREF – Disaster Response Emergency Fund has been such a critical asset. This fund delivers financial support directly to local humanitarian actors—both before a crisis is expected to hit and after. These funds go directly to National Societies, and they are those that are very embedded in local communities.In the case of recent storms, the funds enabled the Philippine Red Cross to galvanize their response to quickly reach people while further funds are being procured globally. They were able to prepare evacuation centres,deploy evacuation teams, and quickly get hot meals, essential items, hygiene kits and more to the people.The IFRC-DREF mechanism was originally designed to respond to small- and medium-sized disasters, but it has evolved to include support for anticipatory action. By acting before disasters strike, IFRC aims for it to enable the saving of more lives and livelihoods and minimizing the devastating impacts.The Philippines have been a recipient of IFRC-DREF three times for the year 2024, and the Philippine Red Cross, along with the IFRC and partners, have been helping with relief, evacuation, hot meals, medical aid, and much more.That support is critical to people like Edgardo Sibbaluca, a construction worker in Rizal, another province in Central Luzon. His family of six experienced the full force of Super Typhoon Carina that hit in July this year.“We couldn’t save anything; we lost all our belongings,”he says. “We had to evacuate. We are now sleeping in the evacuation centre. Food is being brought to us, and that’s what we’re relying on. Fortunately, it occurred in the morning. If it had happened at night, many would have died.I felt weak; all I could see were piles of trash. I felt very weak. “But I’m thankful that at least our lives were spared. I’ll rebuild my house and fix my surroundings. I’ll plant again and go back to work. I’ll restore everything to how it was so I can get back on my feet.”“I feel like we have to be cautious now,”added Edgardo, who expressed gratitude for the support he received from the Red Cross. “We need to be prepared for disasters because we might have to evacuate again.I’m afraid of strong disasters that come suddenly.I want us to be strong and brave, to face challenges without fear and to be prepared.”By Rachel Punitha, IFRC Senior Communications Officer, Asia Pacific
Manila/ Kuala Lumpur/ Geneva, 18 November:Six tropical typhoons have hit the Philippines in a month in an unprecedented pattern of extreme weather, not seen since records in the Pacific basin began in 1951. While the overall impact caused by the latest Super Typhoon Man-Yi (local name Pepito) is still being assessed, the previous five typhoons - Trami (Kristine), Kong-Rey (Leon), Yin-Xing (Marce), Toraji (Nika) and Usagi (Ofel) - have already caused extensive destruction across the region, bringing torrential rains, landslides, widespread flooding and damage to infrastructure and livelihoods, stretching local resources to their maximum. Over 1.4 million displaced people have faced limited access to water, sanitation, nutrition and health care. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is urgently appealing for more aid, increasing its initialEmergency Appeal for 7.5 million Swiss Francs, launched for Typhoon Trami, to 9 million Swiss Francs with the aim of enabling the Philippine Red Cross to widen its scope of assistance to over 86,000 people in the 12 most impacted provinces by allsix typhoons.Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, Secretary General of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said: “While providing lifesaving support, we have initiated early actions to help at-risk communities to reduce damage. But no one can be well prepared for such an unprecedented number of storms in this short span of time. We need help to reduce the humanitarian impacts of these typhoons.” She also pointed out that the PRC has been responding to disasters from the beginning, alongside local authorities, to meet the immediate needs of the most vulnerable communities.Gopal Mukherjee, Programme Coordinator and IFRC Acting Head of Delegation for the Philippines highlighted the urgent need for more aid as local resources are stretched thin, including that of the Philippine Red Cross:“Already the recovery of impacted communities is interrupted by these typhoons and their compounding effects. The humanitarian situation is worsening as Super Typhoon Man-Yi is making its impact,” he added.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] In Kuala Lumpur: Lili Chin: +60 162340872In Geneva: Hannah Copeland, +41 76 236 91 09
Coinciding with COP29, the IFRC’s ‘world-first’ indemnity insurance policy demonstrates an innovative approach to financing costs of climate risk.Insurance policy – developed by Aon - was triggered in mid-September. From then, and until the end of the year, allocations from IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (‘IFRC-DREF’) are being met by the financial sector - not draining IFRC or National Red Cross/Red Crescent resourcesA ‘pledging conference’ on 8 November asked donors to contribute to the policy premium as well as to the fund directly, knowing that any premium financing help could be multiplied by the insurance when it’s needed most. Geneva – 12November 2024A commercial insurance payout has paid the bill for more than CHF 7M worth of climate disaster response costs since an innovative insurance policy triggered in September. By the end of the year, as disasters continue, it could pay as much as CHF15M towards the recovery efforts of some of the poorest communities on Earth.The IFRC-DREF is a vital fund that provides immediate support for National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies when disasters strike, especially for smaller-scale emergencies that may not attract global attention. Up to the end of 2022, the fund always ran the risk of running dry before a year’s end. That prompted the IFRC, in 2023, to secure a groundbreaking indemnity insurance policy developed by Aon – the first ever created for the humanitarian sector.For an annual premium of around CHF3M, the IFRC-DREF ‘pot’ has been insured on an indemnity basis. A potential payout of almost CHF15M is available if, or when, demands on the IFRC-DREF fund because of natural hazard-associated disasters hit a certain threshold – a ‘deductible’ set at CHF33M in one calendar year. For the rest of the calendar year, further demands on the IFRC-DREF for natural hazard disasters in ODA (‘official development assistance’) countries are covered by the insurance payout, up to that total maximum of CHF15M.In 2023, the threshold was not reached so the policy did not pay out. But in 2024 it was. It was an allocation to respond to Super Typhoon Yagi in Asia in September that tipped IFRC-DREF spend over the insurance trigger threshold.Since then, the insurance policy has paid towards disaster recovery efforts in:Vietnam - for Typhoon Yagi (17 September 2024)Nigeria – for floods (18 September 2024)South Sudan – for floods (18 September 2024)Niger - for floods (18 September 2024)Algeria – for floods (19 September 2024)Bolivia – for wildfires (21 September 2024)Mali – for floods (30 September 2024)Sierra Leone – for floods (10 March 2024)Nepal – for floods and landslides (2 October 2024)Lao PDR – for floods (16 October 2024)Sri Lanka – for floods (24 October 2024)Cuba – for Hurricane Oscar (28 October 2028)The effectiveness of IFRC-DREF insurance is a potential game-changer for the humanitarian sector.IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain said:“Innovative insurance for our Disaster Response Emergency Fund gives us financial security to help communities made vulnerable by climate change when they need that help most. It gives our donors the confidence to support us knowing their contributions to the insurance premium could be multiplied many times over if needs demand it. And it sets a welcome precedent for the whole humanitarian sector in terms of how innovative finance can boost our collective responses.”Eric Andersen, President of Aon said:“Floods in Algeria, typhoons in Vietnam and wildfires in Bolivia left 43 million people impacted by disaster in September alone. At Aon, we believe funding should not, and cannot, stop emergency aid. The IFRC-DREF insurance policy expands the impact and scale of emergency aid by the IFRC and is proof that the private sector can do more to support humanitarian organizations and our world's most vulnerable populations."On 8 November, the IFRC hosted its annual ‘pledging conference’ in Geneva when donors wereencouraged to help with the insurance premium for IFRC-DREF insurance in the knowledge that, in a year that needs it, their donation could potentially be multiplied many times over.Overall, donors committed more than CHF 73M to the DREF, including an amount to cover thh insurance premium. Overall, that means the fund is worth over CHF 85M in emergency funding should that amount be needed.At the COP29 climate conference in Baku, much discussion is focused on how to secure reliable finance to tackle increasingly severe and frequent climate-caused hazards. The IFRC’s DREF insurance is an example of the sort of innovation needed and will be at the heart of the talks Notes to journalists More data is available by searching ‘DREF’ under ‘Appeal Type’ at the ‘IFRC’s Go Platform’. More information is here: IFRC-DREF InsuranceIFRC-DREF insurance is co-funded by InsuResilience Solutions Fund (ISF) to support project preparatory work, development and refinement of the insurance product as well as premium funding.IFRC-DREF insurance is also made possible by generous support in paying the premium, particularly from the British Red Cross, the Danish Red Cross and the British government (FCDO).IFRC-DREF has provided rapid and efficient funding to local Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before and after disasters strike since 1979. However, with the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters, particularly due to climate change, the demand for humanitarian assistance continues to grow.The IFRC has plans to grow its IFRC-DREF insurance, to widen coverage beyond disasters caused by natural hazards - to epidemics and anticipatory action, for example. It hopes grant donors will see the added value of contributing to the IFRC-DREF fund if their humanitarian contributions could potentially be multiplied in particularly calamitous years.For more information, for interviews, for video of IFRC and Red Cross Red Crescent responses to disasters contact [email protected] Geneva:Andrew Thomas: +41 76 367 6587Hannah Copeland: +41 76 236 9109
For several months, countries in West and Central Africa have been experiencing unprecedented flooding, which has destroyed homes, devastated crops, swept away livestock, and led to the loss of human lives.Red Cross volunteers are on the front lines, assisting impacted communities with support from IFRC and its partners, who are ramping up their emergency response.So far, the IFRC and its members National Societies have launched emergency appeals inCameroon,Chad,Niger,Nigeria andSouth Sudan to expand support to many more.However, the needs are immense, and additional resources are urgently needed to support vulnerable communities.The successive floods are a stark reminder of the effects of climate change in Africa. Beyond the immediate emergency response, it is imperative to establish climate resilience measures to protect vulnerable communities, notably throughanticipatory flood actions to strengthen disaster preparedness.Cameroon and Chad: 'We haven’t slept for ten days'In Cameroon, unprecedented floods since August 2024 have affected over 455,000 people. They have submerged 85,000 hectares of land and led to the loss of livelihoods for thousands of families.“We haven’t slept for ten days,” saysAsta Waziri, leader of a women’s cooperative of maize producers. “My shop and part of my home were destroyed, taking our stock of grains and many valuable belongings.”In response to this crisis, the Cameroon Red Cross immediately deployed volunteer teams to rescue affected people and organize evacuations to non-flooded areas.With support of emergency allocations from the IFRC’sDisaster Relief Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF), the Cameroon Red Cross has provided cash assistance to over 4,800 people, enabling them to meet urgent needs for food, clothing, and temporary shelter.The National society has also strengthened its health and sanitation efforts, educating communities on practices to prevent waterborne diseases like cholera and distributing hygiene and sanitation kits.“With the cash assistance from the Red Cross, I plan to send two or three children back to school and build at least one room with durable material,” says Aska. “At the moment we are all squeezed into one hut."Most importantly, she says, she will buy cereals that the can store and feed her family over time.In Chad, more than 1.9 million people are affected, and the Chadian Red Cross is mobilized to provide shelter, food, and essential items. However, infrastructure is inadequate to meet the needs: 217,779 homes have been destroyed, 432,203 hectares of arable land ravaged, and over 72,000 livestock lost.Nigeria: 'My family and I ran for our lives'In Nigeria, floods reached critical levels between July and September 2024. Thirty-three of the 36 states were affected, primarily due to heavy rains and the collapse of the Alau Dam in Borno State.Over three million people have been impacted, resulting in 311 deaths, more than 3,000 injuries, and the displacement of 390,000 individuals.“We all had to flee. My family and I ran for our lives. It was the most horrible moment of my life,” recounts Hadjara Habu, a mother of five whose home was destroyed by the floodwaters.The flooding also claimed more than 649 hectares of farmland, jeopardizing food security in the months ahead. Nigerian Red Cross volunteers, supported by IFRC-DREF, are providing shelter, food, drinking water, and hygiene items.Red Cross Volunteers gave people like Hajara cash vouchers to help them get through the coming days.“It is not a lot of money, but it will help us in many ways. We lost all our food items to the floods; this will help me and my family to buy food.”However, the growing number of people affected requires additional resources.Niger: A crisis worsened by climate changeIn Niger, more than 1.3 millionpeople have been affected by floods across the country’s eight regions. Official figures indicate the destruction of over 146,000 homes, loss of lives, and the devastation of over 22,000 hectares of crops.These increasingly frequent extreme weather events underscore the urgent need to strengthen infrastructure, early warning systems, and adopt climate adaptation strategies to reduce future disaster risks.In response, the Red Cross of Niger is deploying a comprehensive intervention that includes emergency assistance, health services, prevention, and awareness-raising about climate risks. The Red Cross is also providing shelter kits, distributing small cash grants, implementing prevention measures against waterborne diseases to help mitigate both short- and long-term impacts.Read more about IFRC’s six active flood related emergency appeals in Africa:CameroonChadEthiopiaNigeriaNigerSouth SudanRead more about unprecedented 2024 flooding in other regions:Season of floods: Youth in Fiji help their communities prevent the damage caused by climate changeBehind the scenes: ‘The new normal’ means the job of getting ready for disaster never endsSeason of the floods: ‘It was terrifying,’ but Red Crescent volunteers nonetheless risked all to save lives and help people recover
The Dominican Republic is a country with a unique biodiversity. Its many terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems are characterized by a high percentage of plant and animal species that are found nowhere else in the world.This biodiversity is essential to the island’s sources of almost everything essential for life: food, clean air, water of sufficient quality and quantity, healthy soils and natural barriers that protect the population from disasters. These resources are vital in a country that is highly vulnerable to the climate-related disasters."The Dominican Republic is one of the countries most affected by climate change," says Angel Ortiz, climate and environment focal point for the Dominican Red Cross. "Its effects are reducing access to clean water, increasing flooding, causing longer droughts, and reducing community income."As ecosystems degrade, biodiversity declines and communities become more vulnerable to climate-related disasters that affect their well-being and threaten their livelihoods."One of the main threats is deforestation and the irrational hunting of fish and flamingos," says Betania Luisa Guevara, a resident of El Cajuil, a village in the Laguna de Oviedo. "Another big problem is the lack of water, the drought. Here, being an arid place, it rains very little and we don't have pipelines to access drinking water." The Dominican Republic has suffered up to a 50-per cent decrease in average rainfall over the past 60 years, according to some estimates. This comes along with a significant reduction in its forests and recurring exposure to hurricanes and storms."When it rains a lot, when the river rises, it overflows and floods the community because there is no drainage for the water to go out," says Ana María Frómeta, a neighbor of the Acapulco community of Río San Juan. "When the sea is not rough, the water comes out immediately. But if the sea is rough, the water stays because the two collide and there is no way out." Despite the threats and risks, these communities dream of a future where communities become stronger by protecting nature. Nature, in turn, is then healthy enough to protect them.Biodiversity, climate change and the Red Cross are linked.As part of their communities, the Red Cross has first-hand knowledge of the relationship between communities and their ecosystems.The Dominican Red Cross, the IFRC and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) , therefore, are working with three communities (El Cajuil, in the province of Pedernales; Hato de Mana, in the province of La Altagracia; and Acapulco, in the province of María Trinidad Sánchez) to identify the opportunities that nature offers to improve their well-being and reduce their vulnerability."In these three locations, we used community diagnostics to listen to the people and identify their concerns and possible solutions to address these issues," said Lilian Ayala, IFRC Senior Climate Action and Community Resilience Officer.In El Cajuil, for example, one of the community's main concerns is the loss of the ecosystem of the Laguna de Oviedo, the area's main tourist attraction, largest fishing reservoir and main source of income. This hypersaline lagoon is threatened by pollution, mangrove destruction and overfishing.The Red Cross is trying to respond to this reality, in part by implementing nature-based solutions (NBS). NBS are measures that help communities reduce disaster risks, adapt to climate change and generate economic resources. At the same time, they protect, restore and sustainably manage ecosystems.In the case of El Cajuil, the restoration and conservation of the mangrove forest, waste management, home gardens and the recovery of species in the lagoon would allow the community to continue to live off the sustainable use of the lagoon and reduce the impact of flooding thanks to the protective barrier created by the mangroves.What would a community that builds resilience by relying on nature-based solutions look like? "My dream community would be one where our relationship with nature would be one of brotherhood, of mutual help,” imagines Betania Luisa Guevara, a neighbor of Cajuil.“We would contribute to the preservation of nature, and nature would give us its shade, its fruits, its fish. It would be a place where all the people would be trained to fight deforestation, to manage garbage well, to rationalize water, and to take care of nature,""It would be a community with sustainable sources of employment; in the tourism sector, we would be 100 percent trained to provide better service. And we would have excellent conditions in education and health," she concludes.For her part, Ana María envisions Acapulco as a clean community, with fully restored mangroves that would act as a natural barrier against the sea. They would also have drainage systems that would prevent the rivers from overflowing.The future we dream of is built togetherThe path to a sustainable and resilient future is clear: only by working together - communities, local authorities, public institutions and local Red Cross teams - can we conserve biodiversity and protect communities and their livelihoods from the challenges of climate change.-This initiative is part of theGlobal Climate Resilience Program. A total of 23 National Societies in the IFRC Americas Region are participating in this project.
“Strange,” Seru says tersely.“The weather that we are supposed to be experiencing at this time of the year should be dry and sunny instead it is wet and cold.”Seru Ramakita, 61, was born and raised in the village of Navuevu – a two-hour drive from Suva, the capital city of Fiji.“As a result of the continuous rain, we are now experiencing flooding. This is the first time in 50 years that the village has experienced flooding.”Home to over 300 hundred people, Navuevu village is grappling with one of the many challenges of life with climate change.As Seru looks out over the water, the midday sun is blanketed by dark clouds as a slight ray of sunshines peeks through a cleft in the clouds. The rustle of the coconut leaves brings back memories, some familiar, some new.“Even during past cyclones, we did not experience flooding,” he says. “The flooding has affected our root crops.”The crops ended up getting submerged in water hence affected their growth. “Now we have no choice but to move our farm to higher ground”, Seru says“As a result of the saltwater inundation due to the flooding, our root crops such as cassava are not able to grow properly, and all our hard work has gone to waste.”In this series, we explore how communities are working to reduce the risks of weather-related crises even even as they are busy helping people recover from the last devastating disaster.Robin Kaiwalu, 33, is a Fiji Red Cross youth volunteer who also resides in Navuevu village, has been affected by the recent floods.“The flooding reached up to my knee and my whole plantation was under water.”“All my crops are damaged including plantain, cassava, taro. Not only do we depend on this for food, but we also sell it as a source of income."Before joining the Y-Adapt program, Robin was an unemployed youth who focused on his family and hobbies like rugby. When he joined the Y-Adapt program, he realized there was a lot to learn through the Fiji Red Cross programs, which motivated him to become a volunteer. He has been volunteering for five months now.WHAT IS Y-ADAPTY-Adapt is a youth-based training program designed to educate, engage and inspire young people to take action and become climate change leaders in their communities. It also builds climate resilience through increased technical understanding and planning skills to take climate action.Over 60 youths have participated in the Y-Adapt program. About 70 per cent of them were unemployed or had dropped out of school. However, some are now pursuing vocational studies, while others have found employment in hotels or are seeking jobs.Through collective action and collaboration, the youth can leverage their diverse ideas, skills, and perspectives to tackle climate change challenges effectively.Fiji Red Cross Society, with support from Japanese Red Cross and IFRC, has been able to train the youth volunteers in Navuevu and equip them with knowledge, skills and resources to address the issue of flooding in the village.In the village, any activity must be approved at a village meeting before proceeding. The youths consulted the village headman to help present their action plan at the meeting, where it was subsequently approved.To ensure active participation, the youths organized a garbage drive along their coastal area and within the village. The drive saw a good turnout, including stakeholders like hotels, the police, the Provincial Council, Disability Associations, and villagers, resulting in the collection of over 150 kg of rubbish.Since most youths were unemployed and needed bus fare and funding for necessary documentation, the village collectively agreed to cover these expenses to support the youth group's initiatives.The village was pleased to see the youths working together to achieve their goals.“After consultations with the village head and the elders, we decided that we came to the conclusion that we needed to construct rubbish bins to help with proper disposal of rubbish,” says Robin.Buying a large bin to accommodate the village's population is very expensive for the youths and involves a lengthy process through the Town Council and Provincial Office before it can be installed in the village. The youths were encouraged to keep their activities low-cost, achievable, and within a set timeframe, so they decided to construct their own bin.“This way the rubbish would not block the drains and the next time it rains; the water will not overflow into the village,” says Robin.“We are very grateful and appreciative to Fiji Red Cross for implementing this program in our village,” says Seru.The tremendous support of the community members, particularly the families of the youth participants, has been instrumental in driving the success of the Y Adapt program in Navuevu.The encouragement and backing received from within the village highlight the value placed on youth-led initiatives that aim to address local environmental challenges and contribute to community well-being.“It is very heartening to see our youths, the future leaders of tomorrow, taking the lead in helping their very own communities with such initiatives," says Seru.“The Y-Adapt Program stands as a beacon of hope and progress in the fight against climate change, demonstrating the power of youth empowerment and collective action in creating sustainable and resilient communities,” says Robin.“For now, we will continue to plant our crops on higher grounds and another goal is to set up an evacuation centre for the village so that when it floods the next time, families are able to seek shelter at this centre.”Text bySoneel Ram (IFRC) with editing by Rachel Punitha (IFRC) | Photos: Kurt Petersen (Petersen Fotography) and Fiji Red Cross Society.
When Bas van Rossum was elected to represent youth on the IFRC Governing Board, he was the youngest person to ever serve in that role. Now as he steps down as president of IFRC’s Youth Commission, he talks about the challenges that defined his tenure. “Young people are perhaps the closest to the front lines,” he says in this special episode, recorded during the IFRC Youth Forum and released on the first day of the IFRC General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. “So it's really important that we listen to young volunteers and that we give them space to really shape the direction we're heading.”
Bogota/Geneva -Ahead of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) calls on the parties to the Convention to address the interrelationship between environmental degradation, climate change, disasters and the impacts these cause on people, nature and cultural heritage. All this will help achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets.“Biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution are environmental but also humanitarian crises. All increase the risk of food shortages, water scarcity, epidemics and pandemics, more frequent and intense disasters, and forced displacement and migration due to recurrent catastrophes” said Martha Keays, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas. “We call on all local and national governments, civil society and all COP16 participants to increasing technical and financial commitments to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.”Two specific GBF targets are critical to avoid a situation where, by 2050, 200 million people require international humanitarian aid every year as a result of a combination of climate-related disasters, environmental degradation and resulting socio-economic impacts. ‘Target 8’ aims to increase the climate resilience of ecosystems and livelihoods through mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction, or nature-based solutions. ‘Target 11’ aims to restore, conserve and enhance nature's contribution to human well-being.“It is crucial to accelerate joint action to save nature and lives. Red Cross expertise in convening power and action in disaster risk reduction, locally-led adaptation and resilience-building can directly support the efforts to protect, restore and sustainably use biodiversity”, explained Keays.Local Red Cross teams across the Americas are already implementing measures like protecting mangroves to reduce the impact of flooding, restoring coral reefs, reforesting forests and protecting water sources. These nature-based solutions are complemented with early action systems, forecast-based anticipation and early action protocols that allow the IFRC network to protect people and nature before disasters strike. Examples include:The Argentinian Red Cross supported the restoration of more than 25,000 hectares of natural vegetation after the destructive fires in the province of Corrientes in 2022.The Mexican Red Cross promotes a participatory and localised resilience-measurement which considers and highlights the interconnectedness between systems and sectors, facilitating analysis and collective action across the physical, human, social, financial and natural spheres.In Canada, the Red Cross has supported several indigenous organizations in restoring their lands post-disaster to increase resilience.In collaboration with the Belize Red Cross, Canadian volunteers supported local communities to restore their culture and forests and increase resilience to climate change by planting Maya Nut trees.The Honduran Red Cross and the Swiss Red Cross worked together to help reduce the risk of disasters by combining soil bioengineering and reforestation to reduce landslide risk. This was done via agroecology activities to help recover productive areas, increase food security and provide economic opportunities.In Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Grenada, the Red Cross promotes the sustainable management and restoration of mangrove ecosystems to strengthen the resilience of landscape and to reduce climate risks, while also contributing to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation."We urge governments to integrate biodiversity conservation strategies into disaster management plans and sustainable development initiatives,” said Dra. Judith Carvajal de Álvarez, President of the Colombian Red Cross. “As auxiliaries to public authorities in the field of disaster risk reduction, the Red Cross can help with this. We’ve expertise in ensuring that local, indigenous and scientific knowledge are prioritized. We can also advise on ensuring women are at the centre of all efforts – considering their critical role and contributions and addressing their specific needs."The COP16 will take place in Cali, Colombia from 21 October to 1 November 2024.For more information and to set up an interview, please contact:[email protected] Colombia – Rafael Payares +573135644837In Panama - Susana Arroyo Barrantes +50769993199In Geneva – Tommaso Della Longa +41797084367 Hannah Copeland+41762369109 Note to editors:The IFRC is currently expanding its work on locally-led adaptation, disaster risk reduction and climate change within the framework of its Global Climate Resilience Platform, supported byIFRC Climate Action Journey, which bridges climate, humanitarian, development, private and innovative finance and supportto strengthen community resilience and adapt to climate-related risks. In the Americas, this initiativeincludes approaches on Climate Smart Programming, Early Warning Systems, Anticipatory Action and Nature-Based Solutions in communities in vulnerable conditions due to the impacts of climate change. This work is supported by the Spanish Cooperation, IRISH AID, USAID, and private sector donors such as the Z Zurich Foundation.As leaders ofthe Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian OrganizationsIFRC is also committed and reducing our own environmental footprint of our operations and programmes.
Since early August 2024, torrential rains have severely affected the Far North, West, North West and South West regions of Cameroon, affecting more than 360,000 people and resulting in multiple deaths, loss of livelihoods, homes, infrastructure, educational facilities, agricultural and environmental damage, as well as livestock losses. This appeal will help the Cameroon Red Cross make a meaningful difference for 99,100 people impacted by these devastating floods.
Central Europe is experiencing its biggest floods in decades. But that is only the latest round ofclimate-related phenomena — from heat and cold waves, to storms, wildfires and landslides — that have pushed many communities to the breaking point.As some worry this is becoming ‘the new normal’, those whose job it is to protect people from these emergencies say preparing for multiple, overlapping crisis will become more important than ever.“As Europe is warming much faster than the rest of the world, floods are occurring more frequently and with more unpredictability,”says Andreas von Weissenberg, the IFRC’s Head of Health, Disasters, Climate and Crises in Europe. “Scaling up climate adaptation action and strengthening preparedness is a must.”But what does that mean in a region already dealing with an international conflict, mass migration, an increase in communicable diseases, continuedrisk of earthquakes,as well as human-induced disasters such as industrial and transportation accidents?For Red Cross and RedCrescent National Societies, it means continuing to play a key role in helping people and communities prepare for future crisis, even while responding to ongoing emergencies.“Europe and Central Asia is a large and complex region that is facing an unprecedented escalation in several types of hazards, in addition to the risk of recurrent and severe flooding,” saysMegan Krolik, IFRC’s National Society Preparedness Coordinator for Europe.Even as communities struggle to recover from floods, wildfires or earthquakes, they must also be thinking about — and getting ready for — whatever comes next. As part of these affected communities, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies must address these challenges head on.“It is more important than ever to ensure that we have the necessary skills, resources, and capacities to effectively manage domestic disaster responses, as well as the larger, cross-border humanitarian crises, both of which are becoming more and more frequent,” Krolik says.‘Sustainable preparedness’National Societies impacted by the Ukraine conflict have seen first-hand the need to scale up their own institutional preparedness.“In the past year of the emergency response operation in Ukraine and the impacted countries, the operational preparedness of National Societies has become a clear priority,”says Krolik, adding that the lessons learned from this experience are being turned into operational analyses that enable National Societies to make a high level of preparedness sustainable over the long term.In addition, operational reviews required as part of IFRC’s funding mechanisms help the IFRC and National Societies analyze hazards and challenges, as well as the capacity of each National Society, and then develop the best possible preparedness strategies.The IFRC has also been working with National Societies on a range of preparedness efforts across Europe and Central Asia:• The creation of 11 new Emergency Operation Centres to help coordinate regional responses.• The launch of a new platform, called X-Stock, by five National Societies in southeastern Europe, for managing warehouse space and relief supplies in real time.• The participations of more National Societies in regional and national emergency simulations.• Scaling up of disaster response team training on many aspects of emergency response.The Slovak Red Cross is one of the National Societies going through this preparedness transformation.“Over the past two and a half years, we have witnessed an influx of displaced people from Ukraine,” saysKatarína Rakická, Operations Manager at the Slovak Red Cross (SRC). “The SRC has been engaged in the provision of support and services for the displaced population that was transiting through the country, as well as for those who have decided to stay and settle down.” Due to the complex situation, there is a renewed commitment to National Society strengthening.“We have prioritized disaster preparedness and have developed a work plan to strengthen our response capacity, with a particular emphasis on migration,” Katarína states.The Slovak Red Cross is not the only National Society in the region putting its response capacity to the test.The Lithuanian Red Cross has a highly skilled staff and a willingness to further develop its disaster management team. But prior to the Ukraine conflict, it had never been involved in such a large-scale emergency response.“The arrival of migrants and refugees from Ukraine has provided the Lithuanian Red Cross with significant experience in handling emergencies," notes Eray Atay, IFRC’s Senior Preparedness Officer in Europe. "This situation has helped them develop their operations, expand their teams, and enhance their response capacities.”A shared concernNow the Lithuanian Red Cross, along with other European National Societies, is going even further by developing contingency planning for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) events. This is particularly relevant due to the proximity of a nuclear power plant to the Lithuanian border.“This concern is shared by other National Societies in the Baltic region and in Central Europe,” Eray says. “This is due to the presence of numerous nuclear and chemical plants, and the potential for accidents or conflict-related incidents.”CBRN preparedness is a key topic in the Preparedness for Effective Response (PER) workshops which the IFRC is rolling out across the region.“Developing contingency plans tailored to each National Society's mandate and capacities is crucial,”Eray adds.“These plans help National Societies in the region to define their roles and responsibilities, ensuring they can effectively respond to various disaster scenarios that may impact their countries.” Sharing regional stockpilesThe COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted the need for regional preparedness, and in particular, cross-border stockpiling and transportation strategies, according to Nebojsa Medojevic, IFRC Disaster and Crisis Preparedness Delegate in Europe.This is one reason that five National Societies in the southeast European region created the X-Stock Platform for managing warehouse space on a regional basis.This helps them enhance cross-border emergency management through shared real-time management of emergency stock.“The X-STOCK platform was created as a virtual warehouse to improve regional preparedness, enabling real-time stock management and facilitating emergency relief”, he says.The fact that 11 European National Societies have establishedEmergency Operations Centers (EOCs) will also helpNational Societies strengthen crisis management, internal communication and data analysis, he adds.“EOCs have played a crucial role in monitoring and responding to emergencies,”according to Nebojsa. “Many National Societies have extended the concept to their field branches, based on exposure and vulnerability to potential future disasters.”
Paraguay is a country known for its heat. In the summer, temperatures can reach up to 45 Cº, but with the climate crisis, thermometers can reach unimaginable levels.In the last 40 years, heat waves in the country have increased threefold and in communities such as Santa Ana and Barcelona II in the city of Asunción. This means more droughts and fires that threaten the wellbeing of the inhabitants.In addition to the extremes of summer, there are the extremes of winter. During the rainy season these same communities are often submerged by flooding, forcing many families to move temporarily to other neighbourhoods or areas of the country."We live on the banks of the Paraguay River and, at certain times, there is a lot of flooding and my community and others nearby are completely under water", says Domingo, a resident of Santa Ana. “In addition, there are many people who fill the land with rubbish and layers of soil that can easily become a source of fire.”.Even in the midst of adversity, these communities dream of a future in which climate resilience is not just a goal, but a way of understanding development and organising the lives of neighbourhoods, communities and entire countries.This dream, although it seems ambitious, could be possible thanks to initiatives such as the one that Paraguayan Red Cross, IFRC and Irish Aid are promoting in Paraguay. Expanding Early Warning and Early Action is a project that seeks to strengthen the capacities of communities to prepare for and respond to disasters, promoting long-term climate resilience.But what would Santa Ana and Barcelona II look like if they were 100 per cent climate-resilient communities?In the ideal future, people in these two places would not be exempt from the effects of disasters, but they would have the tools to anticipate them, act quickly and save their lives, the lives of their loved ones and their assets needed to continue their activities in the aftermath of a disaster."The early warning system will significantly modify the capacities of communities to respond to different disasters: floods, droughts, storms, or epidemics; and this is fundamental to generate interaction links in the different communities", says Hector Guex, Director of Programmes and Operations for the Paraguayan Red Cross.The road to that resilient future is already underway. According to Guex, the strategy proposed by the Paraguayan Red Cross is based on three components: the incorporation of technology; education; and the generation of trust through community participation mechanisms.Technology and Education: Pillars of preparednessIn a resilient community, the use of accessible technological tools would allow the whole community to receive information in real time, through the channels of their choice."To build the early warning system we have identified which communication channels people use, and from which sources they receive or could receive information about weather-related disasters that could affect the whole community", explains Jorge Olmedo, a Paraguayan Red Cross volunteer."For example, in the Divino Niño neighbourhood there is a community radio station that functions as the official channel to alert the community in case of a disaster".Education also plays a central role in the path to climate resilience. In the future we dream of, training in first aid and fire prevention would transform the population into agents of their own safety.Trust and community engagementTo reach this resilient future, collaboration between the Red Cross and communities is key to building trust and shared responsibility.“With the Red Cross volunteers, the first task we did was to assess the whole area, the families, the infrastructure and also a meeting with the entire community about what are the most frequent concerns and threats”, recalls Domingo, a neighbour and community leader in Santa Ana.After gathering this information, the community is organizing itself into committees that the Red Cross is advising on how to be alerted and prepared to respond to the arrival of a potential disaster.This cohesion not only improves early action, it also promotes collaboration and general well-being."Every time it rains we tell each other everything in the group chat because there are many houses where the roofs are blown off and then we go to help the family with the storm. When it rains we are already in alert", says Ruth, a resident of the Barcelona II community.Making health care and future dreams possibleIn resilient communities, health care would be a priority even in emergency situations, to ensure that, in the face of a flood, the community would have access to health care even if they have to mobilise to shelters."Our main action would be to get a mobile clinic to provide health care where the community is, so that they don't have to move, as that is the biggest difficulty in emergency situations", says Jorge Olmedo, a volunteer in the Asunción branch.Turning the resilient futures envisioned by the people of Santa Ana and Barcelona II into reality is a task that no community, no organization and no country can carry out on its own.Aware of this, the Paraguayan Red Cross and several public institutions co-organize a national platform for multi-sectoral dialogue on early warning and early action, integrated by representatives from civil society, the humanitarian sector, academia and the scientific community; and other organizations working in disaster risk management at the local or national level.This space promotes disaster risk awareness, detection, observation, monitoring, analysis and forecasting; dissemination and communication of warnings and the strengthening of emergency preparedness and response capacities."The climate crisis is leaving its mark on our lives and is a challenge that transcends generations", concludes Director of Programmes and Operations Hector Guex. "We need to set our sights and efforts on creating better conditions for future generations".Learn more about IFRC's Early Warning and Early Action initiatives:Early Warning, Early ActionEarly Warning for AllGlobal Climate Resilience ProgrammeAnticipation Hub
Devipur village in Noakhali, an expansive district in the southern Delta region of Bangladesh, was one of the worst-hit areas when floods overwhelmed the area in late August. The entire village disappeared underwater, and thousands faced the terrifying reality of drowning.The Red Crescent unit of Noakhali immediately sprang into action."Once we activated the hotline, the calls never stopped. We got 10-12 calls a minute, mostly for rescue," shared Nusrat Jahan Nishi, a youth volunteer. Her team worked tirelessly, rescuing hundreds and bringing them to safety at the Devipur Primary School, which had been turned into a shelter.Being in the shelter was far from comfortable. Families, from the elderly to small children, were packed tightly together, often sleeping on school benches and cooking in unsafe conditions.Water everwhere, nothing to drinkWith no clean water or toilets, it became a struggle to stay healthy. Many families couldn't find enough food, especially for children and the elderly, and waste began to pile up, creating an unsafe environment.To ease their suffering, Red Crescent volunteers distributed dry and cooked food along with clean drinking water. Medical teams were also sent to provide care and reduce the growing health risks."Actually, people with sons or husbands can manage food more easily here," Tahera explained, highlighting the challenges women face in living and obtaining food in the shelter.It all began on 20 August 2024, following torrential rains in India. Within 24 hours, low-lying areas of the districts of Feni, Noakhali, Cumilla, and Lakshmipur in eastern and southeastern Bangladesh were underwater.By the next day, 90 per cent of Feni and Noakhali were submerged and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society in Noakhali quickly set up a control room and hotline to organize rescue efforts.Initially, the plan was to rescue flood-affected volunteers and their families, but the situation was much worse than expected. Volunteers and former youth members from across the district joined in, determined to help.“Making decisions in those first hours was the hardest part,” recalls Farhana Haider Meem, the Youth Chief of the Noakhali Unit. “We had no idea how to manage such a massive emergency so quickly.”Zobaer Hosen, one of the first youth members on the Noakhali rescue team, said they faced enormous challenges. "We didn’t have enough equipment, boats, or anything really. I went three or four nights without sleep,” Zobaer said. ”We stayed at the unit office, but every time I dozed off, I woke up thinking the phone was ringing."Despite the sleepless nights and lack of resources, Zobaer and his team didn’t stop.‘It was terrifying’The Feni unit had an even tougher time. They knew that so many families were trapped in dangerous flood waters, and they didn't have proper rescue equipment. They stepped out to help despite that fact, but unfortunately, they severely underestimated the waters and found themselves trapped as well.For 36 hours, they were stuck without food or water. Finally, as the waters receded slightly, they swam to safety using bamboo poles. Thankfully, all 23 volunteers are safe and sound.“We spent the whole day on the roof of a one-story house, using our helmets to catch water to drink. It was terrifying,” said Labib, a Red Crescent Youth in the Feni unit. “After enduring that day, we finally made it back to the nearby market, where I found my father, who had been so worried about me.”Unexpected magnitudeThe volunteers at Feni encountered two major challenges. First, there was not much coordination between all rescue organisations in this particular area, as everyone here had not experienced flooding of this scale. Another was a lack of proper rescue equipment. The Feni unit was the first group of rescuers to arrive to help in the worst-hit areas. Unfortunately, there no rescue boats available yet.Again, because none of the affected districts had experienced flooding of this scale in decades, there was no pre-stocked equipment or boats for an immediate disaster response.Many volunteers of affected districts emphasised that due to this flooding, these challenges ought now to be addressed so that they can be better prepared for future disasters.Flooding also hit people in the remote hills of Khagrachari, far from the low-lying areas where the floods were centered — people like Natun Kumar Chakma, a farmer who was also hit with the devastating impacts from the floods."My fields are still underwater, and all the crops are lost," he said.Red Crescent volunteers travelled to these remote hilly areas, where some of the region's ethnic minorities live, to provide emergency food supplies and support.Helping handsOnce the floodwaters receded, Bangladesh Red Crescent teams travelled with a National Disaster Response Team member to the submerged village of Suborno Char, Noakhali, where they disinfected tubewells to provide safe drinking water to the community.One of the tubewells they disinfected belonged to Halima. She and her three children stayed in their flooded home while the water raged outside.“I have no helping hand—no parents, no siblings—so I thought it was better to stay than go to the shelter,” she explained. Her husband, a daily labourer, was out of work because of the flood. For almost a week, the family survived on dry food. Thanks to the Red Crescent, they now have clean water, and Halima’s family will receive further support to rebuild their lives.The Bangladesh Red Crescent deployed medical teams from Holy Family Hospital (a BDRCS hospital) to Feni that included doctors, paramedics, and emergency supplies.“People came in with all sorts of health problems—rashes, infections, colds, and diarrhea,” explained Fatema Akter, a member of the Feni Red Crescent Youth Team. These medical teams were crucial in preventing the spread of disease in the aftermath of the disaster.The floods didn’t just affect physical health. The trauma of losing homes, livelihoods, and security took a mental toll as well. Volunteers, trained in providing psychological first aid, listened to and comforted people as they navigated through their fear and uncertainty.Adrita Tabassum Ome, an Red Cross Youth volunteer from Feni, worked for five days offering mental health support. "I focused on listening to women, elderly ladies, and children, while my male teammate supported the men,” she said. These volunteers played a crucial role in helping people manage their stress and anxiety during the disaster.More than 14 million people have been affected by flooding events hitting Bangladesh across the northern, northeastern, and southeastern regions since June, displacing millions and causing widespread damage. In September, the IFRC launched an emergency appeal seeking 7.5 million Swiss Francs to support Bangladesh Red Crescent recovery efforts.As operations continue, the Red Crescent is targeting and prioritizing the most affected communities, aiming to reach 400,000 people with support for safe shelter, food security, livelihood recovery, health services, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene support.This story was reported and written by Nahidul Islam and Al-Shahriar Rupam and edited by Rachel Punitha, IFRC senior communications officer. Photos by Al-Shahriar Rupam and Mustakim Billah Muhit.See more compelling photos and stories about the flooding in Feni and Noakhali.See the IFRC's Emergency Appeal for donations to help recovery in Bangladesh.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall from Typhoon Yagi triggered severe flooding and landslides across Myanmar, affecting over 60 townships in nine states and regions, with an estimated 631,000 people affected, 320,000 displaced and close to 200 reported fatalities.This Emergency Appeal aims to provide the resources needed so the Myanmar Red Cross Society can provide immediate relief and early recovery assistance to the most severely affected households (35,000 people) in all the nine affected areas.
Kathmandu/ Kuala Lumpur/ Geneva - 2 October 2024The Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are working on mobilising an emergency fund of over 520,000 Swiss francs to further support the ongoing efforts for floods in Nepal, targeting 20,000 people. In its immediate response, over 200 Nepal Red Cross staff and volunteers have worked closely with the authorities in evacuations and search and rescue in the field and distribution of essential supplies. The Red Cross is also involved in clearing roads and restoring access, especially in high-elevation areas where landslides continue to pose significant challenges. So far, the Red Cross has distributed emergency relief items from its prepositioned stocks to nearly 5,000 people.Azmat Ulla, the Head of the IFRC delegation to Nepal, expressed the determination of the Red Cross to make all possible resources available for the communities affected by the worst monsoon rains for more than half a century. They’ve caused the loss of over 200 lives and massive destruction to infrastructure, property damage, industries, crops and livelihoods.“With the additional funds, we aim to focus on providing shelter, water, and sanitation as well as cash to help communities recover as soon as possible, especially those in the most affected areas from Kathmandu to the most affected areas in the adjacent south,” he said, adding that this is of paramount importance as the winter season is approaching.Many of the impacted households are forced to live in open areas due to the damage to their houses. Urgently, the Red Cross is working on transitional shelter solutions for the most vulnerable households including people with disability, senior citizens, pregnant and maternal women and children, and people with low economic status. To a certain extent, relief efforts in general have been hampered as not all affected areas are accessible due to damaged roads and bridges, inundation and disruption in electricity and telecommunications. Many villages are still cut off from the rest of the country owing to impassable roads and broken bridges. In Kathmandu alone, over 3,600 people have been rescued, and many have lost not just their homes but their entire livelihoods. Access to essential resources, such as fresh water is a challenge. And even when the floodwaters recede, there is a risk of a major outbreak of dengue.Witnessing first-hand the scale of the disaster in the Kathmandu Valley, Mr. Ulla highlighted the key to the swift response from the Nepal Red Cross which has trained volunteers and prepositioned stocks. Looking forward, more efforts must be put into further scaling up the preparedness and empowerment of communities including access to relief items as Nepal faces the increasing threat of climate change which has intensified disasters such as this one.An allocation of CHF 520,718 has been made from the IFRC's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) to help with the response to the floods.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] Kuala Lumpur: Lili Chin: +60162340872In Geneva: Andrew Thomas: +41763676587
