The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
AUSTRALIA: Thousands of Australians have been forced to abandon their homes, and many towns have been left
isolated as heavy rainfall has caused flood waters to rise in south-western Queensland and northern New South Wales. The town of St George in south-western Queensland has been evacuated, with around 3,000 people forced to leave their homes, many moving into evacuation centers in Dalby and Brisbane which are managed by the Australian Red Cross. More than 150 Australian Red Cross staff and volunteers are working in evacuation and recovery centres in the flood-affected towns across the region.
PHILIPPINES: According to authorities, the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit western Visayas and some parts of northern Mindanao has claimed at least 22 lives, with a further 71 people missing and 52 injured. Philippine Red Cross emergency response and medical teams – deployed from the capital Manila following the earthquake – reached the districts of Guiholngan, La Libertad and Jimalud the day after the quake. Initial assessments suggest that the immediate needs are water, food and sleeping materials. Within hours of the earthquake, the Philippine Red Cross, with the support of the IFRC, deployed 500 food packs, 1,000 bottles of drinking water, 1,000 sleeping mats, 1,000 blankets and 500 jerry cans, 30 tents and one mobile warehouse to serve as the temporary hospital in Guiholngan.
GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies