Emergency (Page 49)

Emergencies such as floods and house fires can happen to anyone, and in many cases, quite unexpectedly. That’s what Haley Overland and her family discovered this past winter when their home flooded as a consequence of the extended power outage caused by the ice storm that struck the Toronto area. She never imagined that this could happen to her and felt shock and disbelief.

“Silent disasters” are emergencies that go unnoticed and unreported. They are also known as neglected crisis. You don’t hear about them because they don’t make headlines in most parts of the world. In fact, about 91 per cent of disasters worldwide are classified as silent.

Escaping the violence that broke out in South Sudan in December, more than 48,000 refugees have now fled to neighbouring Uganda seeking safety.

Overall, an estimated 700,000 people have been displaced internally in South Sudan, with another 145,000 having fled to neighbouring countries.

 

Eight months after the Alberta floods, the DeMan family home in Calgary still isn’t fully habitable, one son lives with an uncle, and their child care business is located elsewhere. The June 2013 floods may have faded from the headlines, but the DeMan family still lives with the consequences of the disaster, as do many others in southern Alberta. The Canadian Red Cross continues to provide assistance to families and communities as their needs emerge.

The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) has forced close to one million people from their homes. Despite the challenges, Red Cross volunteers in CAR are doing what they can to help. Meanwhile, the Cameroon Red Cross has been assisting refugees arriving in their country. The Canadian Red Cross and the International Red Cross Red Crescent movement have deployed delegates and resources to support the response.

Tomorrow marks three months since Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines.

Three years have passed since the crisis in Syria began and humanitarian needs are greater than ever. The violence has escalated and the impact has left civilians to suffer. Most of the population has been affected by the violence and it has taken a tremendous toll on families who have been forced to move, often multiple times. According to OCHA, some 9.3 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. 
 

When a CN Rail train derailed last week, resulting in fire in several petroleum tank cars and the evacuation of more than 100 people from homes in a rural area in northwest New Brunswick, a team of Canadian Red Cross disaster volunteers was in place within hours to help.

The Red Cross worked out of a community centre in the nearby village of Plaster Rock, NB and supported evacuees and responders around the clock for nearly five days.