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For many Canadians, spring can be a welcome sight. Many of us are yearning to put away our winter boots and shovels, see flowers bloom instead of snow fall, and enjoy warmer weather. Yet with warming climates, spring can also bring an increased risk of flooding. Flooding can be a serious issue for Canadian families so we want to help you prepare for any flooding in your home or community with these resources and tips.

A medical outreach team is a team of four trained healthcare staff headed by a clinical officer and comprised of a nurse, a midwife and a vaccinator. Equipped with motorbikes, medicines, vaccines and basic diagnostic tools, the teams enter communities to provide primary healthcare curative and prevention services to remote populations.

In late February, boreholes were handed over to the Wun-Ajok community in South Sudan. These boreholes are part of a Canadian Red Cross program to improve survival for mothers, children and babies, and are the first sources of water in these areas. 

Last June, Catherine Sonpon came home to find her Surrey apartment building surrounded by fire trucks. The rental suite she shared with her young family had been gutted by fire.
“I remember feeling sadness and pain,” said Sonpon. “My family was safe, and material losses are not as important, but I was still sad to lose all our stuff. You never know when you may need help.”

​The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world. Here is an update on Red Cross response to flooding in Peru, delivering aid in Syria, and the drought in Africa.

With spring nearing, many of us winter-worn Canadians are looking forward to warmer temperatures. While spring is in the air, it’s still important to keep ice safety in mind, especially as milder weather affects most ice conditions.

It was early on a Sunday morning in January last winter when the message began to sound over the loudspeakers of a 17-storey apartment building on Rebecca Street in Hamilton, Ontario. Due to flooding, tenants were being asked to evacuate.

​Ethiopia is currently experiencing a number of disasters, including drought and conflict, especially in Eastern and Southern Ethiopia are currently in the grip of a severe drought, the result of failed spring and autumn rains in 2016. Millions are impacted. The Canadian Red Cross is working with the Ethiopia Red Cross to help strengthen their capacity to respond to disasters and emergencies.