Disaster Response (Page 50)

Not only has Canadian Red Cross volunteer Jennifer Duke Holmes been able to support the Red Cross as a disaster management volunteer, but she has also used her expertise in film production to capture the Red Cross on video.

With a couple earthquakes shaking up the west coast in the past few weeks, it's a good opportunity to review your family's preparedness level, especially for those living in British Columbia or other earthquake-prone regions.

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.

More than three months after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, the Canadian Red Cross has handed over the field hospital it deployed in November 2013 to the Philippine Red Cross. This will allow the Philippine Red Cross to provide basic health care to a community of 30,000 people in the event of a future emergency. 

A group of students from St. Andrew elementary school in Regina, Saskatchewan recently combined art and disasters, turning a school project into a successful fundraiser. The children investigated natural disasters throughout history, created a piece of art about their chosen disaster and creatively displayed the facts they discovered. The fundraising event brought in nearly $1,000 for the Canadian Red Cross!

Over the last couple of months, Central African Republic civilians have been suffering due to the eruption of violence. The crisis has forced thousands to flee their homes, fearing for their families and lives. In Central African Republic, 80 per cent of health facilities are not working, many schools are closed, access to water and sanitation is more difficult and farming is in crisis.

Matt Hewett was among those who deployed to the Philippines in those early days of the emergency response after Typhoon Haiyan caused significant damage in the country. He’s an Information Services Manager with the Canadian Red Cross, which at first glance may not sound like a typical career path for a humanitarian worker. However, information management is critical when it comes to coordinating a large-scale response and ensuring the right aid is delivered to those who need it the most.