Red Cross & Red Crescent Actions
The Red Cross and Red Crescent workers have been working around the clock to render relief to the tens of millions flood victims in South Asia since international appeals were launched by the International Red Cross to raise HK$61.6 million for 1.5 million flood affected victims in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
With efforts of local fundraising, the Nepal Red Cross Society has already distributed over 18,000 family packs, dried food and water purification liquid to families badly affected by the floods. Because much of the country is in the midst of a conflict, Red Cross branches and members are often the only humanitarians aiding vulnerable people there.
In India, 20,000 tarpaulins for building of temporary shelters are going to arrive at the 2 worst affected states, namely Assam and Bihar. Another batch of 30,000 will soon follow. A consignment of 20,000 family packs was also dispatched in the 2 states. As there have been extreme price hikes for food in the flood-affected areas, the Red Cross is carefully analyzing its impact on the budget of relief operation.
As elsewhere in the region, Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteers have been among the first to reach the affected people with emergency food, mainly rice, lentils, flattened rice and high protein biscuits, family kits and water purification tablets. Ten medical teams have been deployed to the most affected areas, and treated more than 5,000 people suffering from conditions such as diarrhoea, dysentery, skin infections, etc.. Forty-four additional medical teams are expected to be deployed within the next fortnight.
Disaster Situation
The floods across South Asia are taking a grim shape with the number of people affected across the region rising to almost 67 million. About 1,800 people have died across the region as reports of damage to livelihoods, infrastructure and property continue to pour in. Millions of people are still living in makeshift shelters and reluctant to go home due to their housing either having been destroyed or make unlivable by mud and silt deposits.
The situation is particular critical in many remote and inaccessible parts of South Asia, from where reports take days to trickle in: In Nepal's remote district of Ramechhap, for example, landslides have destroyed almost 2,500 houses and 7 schools besides cutting off the district from the rest of the world.
Water levels are receding in many areas but that threat is now being replaced by illness, with cases of waterborne diseases and diarrhoea on the increase. In Bangladesh alone, over 100,000 people were struck down by diarrhoea. The region remains highly vulnerable to future severe flooding as the rainy season has not come to its end.
Donations can be made by:
1. Direct transfer to "Hong Kong
Red Cross - South Asia Relief Fund" at
HSBC 500-334149-010
Hang Seng Bank 267-175123-009
Bank of China 806-0-003403-3
Bank of East Asia 514-40-66899-0
2. Crossed cheque payable to "Hong Kong Red Cross - South Asia Relief Fund" and send to the Hong Kong Red Cross, 33, Harcourt Road, Hong Kong
3. Credit Card: Donation form can be downloaded here.
4. On-line donation: click here.
Donation Enquiry: Please call 2507-7180 or email at International@redcross.org.hk