News

Japan: Two years on

Two years ago, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people were forever changed when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake followed by a massive tsunami devastated Japan. While the Red Cross response to this disaster was immediate, efforts to help survivors recover will continue for many years. More» 

Mali: People fleeing their homes in areas affected by the clashes

Central and northern Mali has been in the grip of crisis since early last year. Civilians continue to suffer the effects of the hostilities, which have entered a new phase in the past week. More» 

Three years on: Canadian donations continue to help communities in Haiti

Three years after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, the Canadian Red Cross continues to help earthquake survivors rebuild and recover. More» 

Tropical Cyclone Evan

On Thursday, December 13, Tropical Cyclone Evan made landfall in Samoa as a Category 2 cyclone before intensifying into a Category 3 storm. Extensive flooding has been reported in the capital Apia, as well as widespread structural damage, including 18 schools affected. More» 

Typhoon Bopha

As rescue and assessment teams reach areas affected by Typhoon Bopha, the scale of devastation wrought by the storm continues to emerge. The government has declared 50 provinces, cities and municipalities under state of calamity. More» 

Winter adds to hardship for Syrian families as conflict continues

Winter conditions are increasing humanitarian needs in Syria, where more than three million people have fled the ongoing conflict by taking shelter in public buildings and parks, with host families, or in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. More»

Hurricane Sandy USA update

The American Red Cross is continuing to provide food, shelter and supplies to people affected by superstorm Sandy. To date, the American Red Cross has helped people in ten states. More»

Red Cross marks World AIDS Day

As communities and organizations around the world mark World AIDS Day on December 1, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are improving access to diagnosis, treatment and programs for people living with HIV/AIDS. More»

Canadians continue to help Sandy-affected communities

As New York and New Jersey still remain affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Canadians like Robbin Stephens continue to lend a helping hand to our neighbouring communities. More»

Sandy destroys homes and livelihoods in Jamaica

Mathieu Léonard distributing relief items to beneficiaries in Robins Bay, St-Mary’s parish. Jamaica Red Cross (Curtis Palmer) One of many partially destroyed homes in Robins Bay. IFRC (Mathieu Léonard) Mathieu Léonard is a Canadian Red Cross delegate who has seen his fair share of disasters throughout the world. But he’s astounded by what Hurricane Sandy has done to this Caribbean country. More»

7.4 magnitude earthquake shakes Guatemala

On Wednesday, November 7, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake shook off the coast of Guatemala. First reports indicate the most affected areas are San Marcos and Quetzaltenango, but damages in other regions are possible. More»

Red Cross responds to Sandy aftermath in Haiti

The Red Cross continues to provide assistance to the most vulnerable Haitians who are struggling to recover from the affects of Hurricane Sandy. More than 18,000 families, many of whom were already living in difficult circumstances, are estimated to have been affected. More»

Hurricane Sandy USA update

The American Red Cross is continuing to increase its relief operations to provide food, shelter and supplies to people affected by superstorm Sandy. To date, the American Red Cross has helped people in ten states. More»

Hurricane Sandy – Support communities in the Caribbean and United States

The Canadian Red Cross is asking for donations to support relief operations for communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy across the Caribbean and in the United States. Currently, the Red Cross is providing food, water, safe shelter, and community services in seven countries impacted by the storm. More»

Red Cross responds to Hurricane Sandy’s widespread destruction across the Caribbean

Hurricane Sandy caused widespread destruction across the Caribbean before making landfall in North America. It killed at least 69 people and has left more than 300,000 people homeless across the region. The storm caused extensive flooding, landslides, and destroyed infrastructure and crops in several countries, affecting communities’ long-term livelihoods. Damages are particularly extensive in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica. More»

Hurricane Sandy

After wreaking havoc on communities across the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy is barreling toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The Red Cross urges residents along the coast and interior regions to make their storm preparations now. More»

Red Cross prepares for Hurricane Sandy

As Tropical Storm Sandy moves through the Caribbean, a hurricane warning is now in effect for Jamaica. It is expected that over the next 24 hours rainfall will increase with up to 6-12 inches across Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba. More»

Canadian Conference on Global Health

The Canadian Red Cross is presenting this week at the Canadian Conference on Global Health. The conference takes place from October 21-23, and brings together researchers, practitioners, policy makers, non-governmental and international organizations and community members to discuss emerging issues and challenges in global health. More»

World Disasters Report 2012 - Focus on forced migration and displacement

Migration is a phenomenon that grows every year and affects in some way virtually every country. Many migrants move voluntarily – looking perhaps for economic opportunities, or for different lifestyles. But for others, migration is not a choice. More»

World Food Day - Sowing Seeds in the Sahel

More than 18 million people have been affected by food insecurity in the Sahel region of Africa over the past year. The region, which includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Niger and the Gambia, has seen erratic rainfall, insect infestation, rising food and fuel prices, and population movements resulting from conflict. More»

China Red Cross rushes help to remote quake hit area

Red Cross Society of China emergency teams are hard at work to bring help to survivors of a series of earthquakes that have struck a remote and underdeveloped southwestern region of China. More»

Earthquake in Costa Rica

On September 5, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook Guanacaste province in Costa Rica. Homes, bridges and electric systems were damaged and many residents were left without water service. More»

Planning for Isaac’s landfall, seven years after Hurricane Katrina

The American Red Cross has launched a major disaster response operation that could last for weeks across multiple states along the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Isaac makes landfall, affecting millions of lives with strong winds, heavy rain, flooding and coastal surges. More»

Red Cross responds to cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone

The Red Cross is responding to a growing cholera crisis in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown and surrounding areas. Sierra Leone's government has declared the cholera outbreak as a national emergency after 176 deaths and over 11, 000 cases have been reported since January. More»

Red Cross prepares for Tropical Storm Isaac

With Tropical Storm Isaac moving westward through the eastern Caribbean sea, the Canadian Red Cross is supporting several National Red Cross Societies in order to properly prepare for a potential disaster. More»

Earthquakes in Iran

The Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRCS) is responding to two recent earthquakes that have hit Iran on August 11th. More»

Red Cross prepares communities for tropical storms this season

As Tropical Storm Ernesto batters Belize and the Caribbean coast of Honduras and Mexico, the Red Cross has initiated its disaster response system and is helping communities. More»

Red Cross responds to triple typhoons

Red Cross Societies in the Philippines and China are providing emergency relief to flood affected communities after triple typhoons swept across the region, triggering torrential rain, floods and landslides. More»

HIV and AIDS: The legacy of the changing values

Some 80 Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers from around the world join more than 22,000 people from 177 countries registered to attend the 19th International Aids conference that opened its doors in Washington DC on the 22nd of July. More»

Horn of Africa Drought – one year on

The Red Cross Movement has a strong presence in the Horn of Africa and continues to assist communities affected by drought. More»

Hurricane Preparedness

With the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season underway, the Canadian Red Cross is supporting several national Red Cross societies in the Caribbean in order to properly prepare for potential disasters. More»

South Sudan: desperate struggle for health care in world's newest nation

One year after South Sudan declared independence, many humanitarian needs remain unmet. Communities lack access to basic health-care services. More»

World Refugee Day

Countries around the world recognize June 20th as World Refugee Day. For refugees, the hardship isn’t over when they arrive in their new countries.More»

Fathers in Honduras get involved in mother and child health

High in the mountains of Honduras is the indigenous Maya-Chortis village of Aguacaliente. The village of 1,325 people is a 50 minute motorcycle ride from Copan Ruinas. Former pastor German Evelio Fuentes Benites, 29, is using his oratory skills working for the Red Cross in the village.More»

Syria: thousands of displaced in Houla need urgent help

Thousands of Syrian families need urgent help after fleeing a massacre of civilians and ongoing violence in the Houla region, in the west of the country. More»

Red Cross community gardens fend off hunger in the Sahel

As the food crisis in the Sahel expands, already affecting 18 million people in seven countries, the Red Cross Red Crescent is working in communities across the region to improve food security and provide emergency assistance. More»

New IFPRI/IFRC report maps out long-term paths to end global hunger

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have today launched a new report which examines the issues of food security in vulnerable populations. More»

World Malaria Day

April 25, 2012 marks World Malaria Day, an opportunity to recognize global efforts to control one of the world’s most deadly and preventable diseases. More»

Earthquake in Indonesia

On April 11, 2012, an 8.7 magnitude earthquake shook the Indian Ocean region, in particular the western coast of Aceh (Indonesia) that was the epicentre of the devastating 2004 tsunami. More»

Predictable, preventable: Overcoming the challenges of violence during and after disasters.

A recent Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and IFRC report outlines best practices to address violence in disasters, and calls on humanitarian actors to mainstream a public health approach to violence prevention in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. It demonstrates that the pattern of increased violence following disasters impacts low, middle, and high income countries alike. More»

Japan: One year later

One year ago, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people were forever changed when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake followed by a massive tsunami devastated Japan. While the Red Cross response to this disaster was immediate, efforts to help survivors recover will continue for many years. More»

Red Cross delivers humanitarian assistance to affected communities in Syria

As the situation in Syria deteriorates with recent increase in violence, many affected communities remain disconnected and without any outside support. Marianne Gasser, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Syria, said: "We are greatly concerned about the consequences of the unrest from a humanitarian viewpoint and about the current deterioration of the situation. The population, particularly the wounded and sick, are bearing the brunt of the violence." More»

One Year Later: Christchurch Earthquake

Twelve months ago on February 22, 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake claimed the lives of 185 people and damaged major parts of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. More»

Tropical Cyclone Giovanna

On February 14, intense tropical cyclone “Giovanna” made landfall in the East coast of Madagascar. High winds and heavy rains caused damage in the regions of Brickaville and Vatomandry. More»

International Development Week

International Development Week is celebrated each year in Canada during the first full week of February. More»

West Africa Food Crisis

An estimated 10 million people in the Sahel Region (which includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) are facing severe food shortages. More»

Syria: Syrian Arab Red Crescent secretary-general killed

The Canadian Red Cross is deeply shocked by the death of Dr Abd-al-Razzaq Jbeiro, secretary general of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and president of its Idlib branch who was shot on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 while travelling between Damascus and Idlib in a clearly marked Red Crescent vehicle. More»

Red Cross responds to floods in Southern Europe

Counties in southern Europe are facing extreme weather conditions, including severe rain and storms. Most affected are south-east France and the north-west regions of Italy. Italy in particular was hit by two devastating waves of flooding in a period of ten days, which have so far left 17 dead. More»

Earthquake in Turkey

The Turkish Red Crescent is working around the clock to assist survivors and reach people trapped in the rubble following the 7.2 earthquake that hit the eastern Turkish province of Van on October 23. More»

Flooding in Central America

Red Cross teams across Central America are on high alert as heavy rains continue to pound El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. More»

Flooding in South-East Asia

Large areas of the South-East Asian sub-continent are underwater. An estimated 8 million people in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao have been affected, and more than 500 people have been killed. More»

Returning monsoon rains force families from their homes

More than 240 people have died and over 400,000 others have been displaced as torrential rains and flooding continue in parts of Pakistan.  More»

The Red Cross strengthens its response to cholera outbreak in Chad

Chad is dealing with a cholera outbreak that has affected over half of its 61 districts. Statistics show that the cholera outbreak in Chad is getting worse and is spreading not only across the nation, but also into neighbouring countries including Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. More»

Thousands displaced by monsoon floods in Pakistan

Just over one year after the devastating 2010 floods in Pakistan, monsoon rains have once again caused flooding that has left much of the country’s south under water. More»

Red Cross Moving Supplies and Volunteers as Hurricane Irene Heads Towards the United States

Hurricane Irene is expected to make landfall along the eastern shores of the United States later this week with winds gusting as high as 150 mph. More»

Cholera in Cameroon

For the past year, a cholera outbreak has gripped Cameroon. To date, over 13,000 people have been affected and over 400 have died. More»

Red Cross completes food distribution in South Somalia

This past weekend the Red Cross completed a food distribution benefitting 24,000 people in South Somalia, an area controlled by local authorities and where many international aid organizations do not have access. More»

Cyprus Red Cross volunteers on the spot after fatal explosion

Over 100 Red Cross volunteers have been mobilized after a massive explosion at a naval base in Cyprus today. More»

Caribbean Community Resilience to Disaster Risk (CCRDR): Enhancing community resilience to disaster risk in the Caribbean region.

Through support from the Canadian Red Cross and the Canadian International Development Agency, the Red Cross Societies in Dominica, Jamaica and Guyana have launched a three year program to enhance community resilience to disaster risk in the Caribbean region. More»

Rainy season in Haiti brings increased risk of cholera

A significant rise in cholera cases has been reported in Haiti, leading the Red Cross to re-open a cholera treatment centre in Port au Prince. The increase, which had until recently been contained within specific rural areas, has now hit the capital leaving treatment facilities stretched to capacity. More»

Côte d'Ivoire: the humanitarian needs remain immense

While in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire, life is returning to normal, the humanitarian situation remains alarming in the west of the country. In Duekoué, some 27,000 people who fled as a result of the post-election crisis continue to shelter inside the premises of the Catholic mission in the town, in suffocating conditions. They survive through assistance provided by humanitarian agencies including the Red Cross. More»

World Malaria Day 2011

As another World Malaria Day approaches the Canadian Red Cross continues to be a part of a global campaign in the fight against one of the world’s most deadly – and preventable diseases. More»

How your donations will be used in Japan

The Canadian Red Cross is extremely committed to transparency and accountability to our donors. Generous donations from our donors will be used to directly support emergency relief and recovery operations underway in affected communities across Japan. More»

Message from Japanese Red Cross

The compassion the Canadian people have demonstrated over the past week through their generous support to the Canadian Red Cross is incredibly uplifting at a time when we are dealing with a such an immense humanitarian tragedy. More»

Libyan–Tunisian border: Red Cross Red Crescent pushes on through the chaos

At 6pm heavy rain began to fall as the sun set on the Tunisian border village of Ras Jdir. Scattered along the desert landscape were thousands of refugees that had crossed over from Libya. While more continued to arrive throughout the evening, approximately 6,000 migrants reportedly passed through the border today alone. More»

Tears of joy on the Tunisian border

Amid the harrowing stories coming out of Libya there are also moments of hope. As well as providing water and food to the 25,000 who have crossed the border since Monday, the Tunisian Red Crescent Society is helping people let their families know they are safe, using a cell phone. More»

Protecting People in Armed Conflict

At the core of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the mandate and responsibility to protect and assist victims of conflict. Hostilities can escalate without warning and in the face of such unpredictable emergencies, the Red Cross attaches great importance in its ability to respond rapidly. More»

Red Cross ready to assist injured in Libya

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling upon authorities, demonstrators and all others involved in the situation in Libya to respect human life and dignity at all times. More»

Red Cross responds to massive earthquake in New Zealand

On February 22, 2011, the South Island of New Zealand was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. The epicentre of the earthquake was about 10km southeast of the city of Christchurch.  More»

Red Cross emergency medical assistance arrives in Egypt

As violent clashes in Egypt continue and casualties mount, the first Red Cross aircraft carrying emergency medical assistance has landed at Cairo airport. More»

Red Cross responds to Cyclone Yasi in Australia

The Red Cross in Queensland, Australia is rapidly scaling up operations as Cyclone Yasi, the biggest cyclone in Australia’s history, has begun to pound parts of Northeast Australia with winds up to 290 km/hr. More»

Profile of a Red Cross Health Delegate

Patrice Gordon became a nurse because she was told a woman with a baby was not allowed to be a commercial pilot. It was 1981, and her counselor in an aviation program told her she might want to look at nursing instead. More»

First Responder Initiative

As the world is experiencing an upward trend in major international disasters that are affecting millions of people each year, the Canadian Red Cross is scaling up its ability to prepare for and respond, particularly in the Americas. More»

South East Asia: millions affected by six natural disasters

Over the past two weeks, five countries in South East Asia have been hammered by nature. Millions have been affected by six disasters that are stretching the resources of governments and the Red Cross and Red Crescent. More»

Red Cross assists survivors of Indonesia’s double disaster

The Red Cross is responding to the impact of two major disasters that have struck Indonesia in recent days. More»

Red Cross responding to Super Typhoon in Asia

Typhoon Megi is bringing ferocious winds and torrential rains to the Philippines and is predicted to hit China and Viet Nam later this week. More»

Magnitude 8.8 earthquake strikes Chile

On February 27 a major earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale occurred in Chile. More»

Red Cross helping youth prevent HIV/AIDS in India

In July 2009, Canadian Red Cross Secretary General Conrad Sauvé visited two southern states in India where the Canadian Red Cross supports community health, livelihoods and disaster preparedness programming. More»

Red Cross responds to disasters in Asia Pacific

The Asia Pacific region is experiencing multiple simultaneous disasters – Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines and Vietnam, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami on the Samoan islands and a 7.9 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia. More»

Red Cross Responding to earthquake and tsunami in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga

Red Cross Societies in Samoa and Tonga and the American Red Cross in American Samoa have played a vital role in humanitarian relief efforts following an early morning 8.3 magnitude earthquake and its resulting tsunami. More»

Run and tell your neighbour – Haiti early warning program a success

Written by: Catherine Marquis, Canadian Red Cross international delegate
It’s been a quiet hurricane season this year; a welcome respite for all of Haiti’s vulnerable communities. This is a good time to raise awareness in villages about what families should do in the event of a hurricane. That is the purpose of Kouri Di Vwazen, a community-based early warning program, which means “Run and tell your neighbour”, implemented by the Haitian Red Cross Society. More»

Asia Typhoons 2009

Each year typhoons sweep through Asia, often causing wind damage, landslides and flooding. This year is no exception with storms impacting several countries in South and East Asia. Typhoon Aila devastated parts of Bangladesh and Typhoon Morakot swept through the Philippines, Taiwan and mainland China. Hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands of people have been affected. More»

Canadian Red Cross youth volunteers headed to Solferino, Italy

From June 23-28, youth volunteers from around the world will come together for the 3rd World Red Cross Red Crescent Youth Meeting, in Solferino, Italy. They will share ideas, learn from each other and commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle of Solferino, where Henry Dunant was inspired to form the International Red Cross Movement. More»

Sri Lanka Conflict

Over 25 years of civil conflict and simmering ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka have left thousands in need of humanitarian assistance. While the fighting appears to have ceased, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pursuing efforts, so far without success, to reach the area of north-eastern Sri Lanka hardest hit by the conflict. More»

Pakistan Conflict

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Pakistan are enduring extreme suffering and hardship due to ongoing hostilities in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Fighting between Pakistan’s armed forces and local insurgent groups has driven roughly 1.5 million people from their homes in search of safety. Those left behind lack access to food, water and sanitation, and health services. More»

Our World – At War exhibit reveals hope in the midst of despair

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has teamed up with five of the world’s top war photographers to create a new exhibit called Our World – At War. The exhibit, which launches in New York, Geneva and more than 40 countries worldwide beginning on May 8, will premiere at Canada’s War Museum in Ottawa on May 22, before travelling to Toronto and Victoria. More»

Earthquake in Italy

An injured man walks past his destroyed house after an earthquake in the Italian village of Onna April 6, 2009. (Chris Helgren/REUTERS/courtesy www.alertnet.org) At 3:32 a.m. Monday morning, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of L'Aquila in central Italy, 120 km northeast of Rome. Initial reports say as many as 50 people are dead, and over 400 injured. More»

Water means life: World Water Day - March 22, 2009

Access to clean water is a luxury; one that many people take for granted. But for more than one billion people around the world, access to clean water is not a reality. More»

Australia: Red Cross responds to bushfires

As wild fires sweep across the southern Australian state of Victoria communities are experiencing the worst peace-time disaster in their country's history. According to government figures, more than 170 people have perished in the flames so far and the death toll is expected to rise. More»

Humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sri Lanka

Escalating violence between the Sri Lanka Security Forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is resulting in a humanitarian crisis. The Canadian Red Cross is working with the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society to provide basic relief support to injured civilians evacuated from Sri Lanka’s northern Vanni region, which has seen intensified fighting over the past few days. More»

Strong earthquake jolts Costa Rica

At least 13 people, including 3 young girls, died after a 6.2 earthquake hit Costa Rica on January 8th. More than 20 people are still missing. According to Costa Rica Red Cross - which mobilized more than 400 volunteers to support the rapid response efforts - more than 2300 people have been affected. More»

Net distributions in Cross River State, Nigeria

On December 12, with great ceremony, His Excellency Governor Liyel Imoke, of Cross River State, officially launched a child survival campaign that includes the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets. More»