Emergency (Page 40)

Heavy rains and damage from Cyclone Komen have caused extensive flooding and landslides in many parts of Myanmar. The Myanmar Red Cross Society is estimating that 178,000 people have been affected across 12 regions and states. It is expected that the number of people affected by this disaster will increase in the coming days as Red Cross teams reach remote areas and assess the damage.

Thank you for helping us assist over 10,000 people evacuated from their homes in response to wildfires in northern Saskatchewan. 

Natasha Osmond, a perioperative nurse from Halifax, recently returned from Dhunche, a rural community in Nepal, where she worked at the Red Cross field hospital. On this, her first overseas assignment, Natasha was responsible for patient safety, legal aspects of nursing, and management of nursing activities related to surgery. 

Today marks three months since the first of two earthquakes devastated Nepal. With more than 100 aftershocks, many people have lost their lives, homes and livelihoods. The earthquakes impacted 5.6 million Nepalese with more than 853,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

Gary Tinker did not know what to expect when he arrived at the Evraz shelter on July 1. He and his family had just spent nine hours on a bus ride from Pinehouse, Saskatchewan. Like the 1,500 residents from his community, he was given little time pack before leaving.

Red Cross volunteer Fabrice Vanhoutte loves putting a smile on children’s faces. So, he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve for the young people in a Saskatoon shelter.
 
“If I see a kid who is upset, I don’t necessarily go right up to them but I stay nearby and play my mouth organ or start showing a card trick,” says Vanhoutte.
 

It’s an exciting time for some of the people evacuated by the Saskatchewan wildfires who get to return to their communities. There are plenty of smiles as they board buses on their way back home. Most have mentioned looking forward to sleeping in their own beds; others are excited to see their pets.

Lynn MacLeod didn’t worry when she volunteered to fly across the country to help people affected by the Saskatchewan wildfires. She knew that she was well-prepared.

“I’m so happy for all of our Red Cross training! It means I can go anywhere in the country and know how to help,” says MacLeod, who is from Prince Edward Island.