Typhoons

The Philippine and Canadian Red Cross have a strong relationship that began in 2013 when responding to typhoon Haiyan. Nearly 10 years later, the partnership has been strengthened resulting in positive impacts on both sides. Learn more about how this partnership came to be and the key to developing enduring international relationships.

Red Crosser Joanne Abshire looks back on Typhoon Haiyan, and how she chose to help following the disaster. Now a member of the Red Cross, Joanne looks at how we are still working in the Philippines. 

Sandra is a psychosocial support aid worker with the Canadian Red Cross. When disasters and emergencies strike, the obvious stuff – damaged homes, destroyed infrastructure, injured people – sometimes makes it easy to overlook the damage that’s invisible. We can be impacted by disaster and emergency in many ways and can experience deep trauma that doesn’t simply go away once physical damage is addressed. Recovering from these events requires emotional care just as much as it requires physical care. 

Last weekend the Feast of the Nazarene was held in Manila. This annual religious gathering, which features one of the biggest processions in the country, saw close to 10 million people participating.  Our colleagues at the Philippine Red Cross were kept busy on the scene, where they had set up their emergency field hospital.

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, Secretary General of the Philippine Red Cross, recently paid us a visit at Canadian Red Cross offices in Ontario and British Columbia, where she reaffirmed the strong partnership formed with us in the wake of the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan which struck her country two years ago.

The Red Cross responded quickly in the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, reaching 1.3 million people with emergency relief. Two years after the typhoon, the Red Cross continues to help survivors recover and rebuild.