Here’s a brief round-up of how the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is helping people to deal with disasters around the world.
Ivory Coast: Following conflict in the country, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Ivorian Red Cross are distributing food and other basic necessities, and helping displaced people obtain water and maintain proper hygiene.
In the west of the country alone, the ICRC and Ivorian Red Cross have supplied 19 hospitals and healthcare centres with kits containing enough basic medicines to treat 18,000 people for three months. The ICRC is also shipping 4,000 tonnes of lime to treat the water used by five million people for the next six months.
Near the Liberian border, the Red Cross is still one of the few humanitarian organisations able to reach the people on a regular basis without military escorts. ICRC staff are monitoring the treatment of those arrested in connection to the post-election violence.
In Liberia, the ICRC is working with the Liberian Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to reconnect Ivorian refugees with their families, and to provide refugees and host families with seeds and drinking water.
Donate to our Ivory Coast Crisis Appeal
Read more about how the Red Cross is helping in Ivory Coast
Japan: The earthquake and tsunami in Japan saw 492,000 people evacuated, 433,000 square kilometres of land flooded and 110 kilometers of coastline submerged in Fukushima and Miyagi. Following the disaster, the Japanese Red Cross continues to provide medical care, food, water and shelter.
Read more about how the Red Cross is helping in Japan
Libya: The ICRC has warned that the humanitarian situation in Libya could further deteriorate and the lack of basic services could become critical. The ICRC and the Libyan Red Crescent continue to distribute medical supplies, hygiene kits, food and water.
The ICRC has access to Misrata from both Benghazi and Tripoli, and is helping those most affected by the fighting. ICRC delegates have visited around 200 detainees and are delivering “safe and well” messages from civilians to their families.
The ICRC has helped evacuate over 2500 civilians from Misrata by ship and has flown five Libyan nationals from Benghazi to be reunited with their families in Tripoli.
Donate to our Libya and Region Appeal
Syria: Since protests began in March, violence in Syria has escalated. The ICRC has been working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, delivering essential supplies such as first aid kits, stretchers and other emergency response equipment. The organisations are working with Syria’s health ministry to bring aid to violence-stricken areas and deliver medical supplies to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers and other medical personnel have been providing first aid and evacuating casualties.
The ICRC has called upon authorities, demonstrators and all others involved to respect human life and dignity.
United States of America: Following a series of devastating tornados, the American Red Cross is providing shelter, food and emotional support across 12 of the southern states. In Alabama, American Red Cross emergency response vehicles are travelling through neighborhoods to provide hot meals to families. The American Red Cross is distributing thousands of comfort kits, and is working with Save the Children to distribute infant and children’s supplies.
In April, the Red Cross served more than 300,000 meals and snacks, and opened 94 shelters across the country.
Read more about how the American Red Cross is helping
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: In April, heavy rainfall caused landslides and led to rivers overflowing in the north-eastern section of Saint Vincent. Approximately 55 households were directly affected and up to 20,000 people were left without drinkable water.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has allocated money from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to assist around 200 families.
*The Movement is made of 186 National Societies (including the British Red Cross), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
View Comments »
Tags: American Red Cross, Côte d'Ivoire, International, Ivory Coast, Ivory Coast Crisis Appeal, Japan, Japanese Red Cross, Liberia, Libya, Libya & Region Appeal, saint vincent, Syria, United States
The Red Cross values comments both complimentary and critical. However, we will not tolerate the following: aggressive or personal criticism of the blogger, breach of copyright, obscene, defamatory, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive or likewise objectionable comments.