30

Several provinces including Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia are on heightened alert for flooding as a result of high water levels that are putting several communities at risk.

Martin de Vries, a Canadian Red Cross aid worker currently in Ethiopia as part of the Africa drought response, shares how the first rainfall of the year brings joy to a community, but doesn't mean the end of the drought.

April 25, 2015 was a day the world watched in shock at the devastating snapshots on TV of century-old monuments tumbling to the ground, homes collapsing amidst the dust and people looking for loved ones under the rubble. But for Bijay Bharati, a Nepali-Canadian, it was his worst nightmare. His wife and children were staying in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Working with the Canadian Red Cross as a Health Delegate in South Sudan, Bijay watched the news unfold.

Even when fire ravaged her recently renovated home, Saskatchewan resident Brenda Lyons didn’t think she needed support, initially declining Red Cross assistance; however, she discovered support was just what she needed to get her and her family through the long journey of recovery.

Red Cross efforts continue in response to the ongoing severe drought affecting millions of people in several countries in Africa. These photos depicting water distribution by the Ethiopia Red Cross are provided by Canadian Red Cross communications aid worker Kathy Mueller, who is currently in Ethiopia.

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.”

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.

With severe drought threatening the lives of millions of people in eastern Africa, urgent food assistance will be needed for an estimated 15 million people in the three countries of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya alone. It is considered the worst drought in decades. David Fogden, Canadian Red Cross disaster management delegate, was one of these team members to visit hard-hit areas and saw how the drought has a cascading effect on livelihoods, families and communities.