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When lightning strikes, disaster can follow in mere minutes. Elizabeth, her husband, four children and family dog escaped a sudden home fire, and were grateful for the support of the Red Cross Personal Disaster Assistance Team in Prince Albert, SK. 

Most Canadian Red Cross international emergency health clinic deployments last four weeks.  In fall 2020, however, Garry Enns of Manitoba was the first Canadian Red Cross humanitarian worker to support the clinic from start to finish.

For people living with disabilities, preparing for disasters will need to take into account personal needs, such as mobility before, during and after a disaster – especially if there’s no power.

Here are some tips for disaster planning when living with disabilities.

Planning for the holidays during a pandemic, while also trying to be safe and managing COVID-19 fatigue can be challenging for all of us. Coping with a Health Emergency: A Guide for the Holidays includes suggestions and helpful tips that may make the holidays less stressful for you

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, mental health has been at the forefront as the disruption to regular life and routines has many people feeling trapped and isolated in their own home. In southwestern Nova Scotia, the Shelburne County Mental Health & Wellness Association is helping by offering a Warm Line for people in distress.

All is abuzz at as preparations get underway for the handover of the Canadian Red Cross field hospital (ERU) to the District Health Office in Dhunche, Nepal. Orders are being filled to replenish medicines and equipment; boxes are being counted and recounted for accuracy; and the din of ongoing training sessions for doctors and nurses continues, punctuated only by the laughter of children playing in the nearby psychosocial support tent.

The message read “Today, August 4, we transported our dear Mr. Smiley and his brother to Dhulikhel Spinal Cord Injury”. It was sent by Red Cross nurse Kirsty Robertson of Toronto who is part of the current Canadian Red Cross team working at the field hospital in rural Dhunche, Nepal. She was eager to share Mr. Smiley’s happy outcome, as it has been a team effort.

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.