A house on the river in a small, picture-esque community sounds like the perfect place for a retired couple to settle. But when flooding caused water damage to their Clarence-Rockland home, Sandra and Gordon Killins share their experience coming home to pick up the pieces. 

Between building the world’s greatest playlist and figuring out the best selfie destinations - or where Canada’s weirdest museum is -  it’s useful to take a few steps to make sure your fantastic road trip is also a safe road trip. 

Violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar has displaced hundreds of thousands people from the local Muslim population, who have been crossing into Bangladesh in search of safety. Approximately 57% of people arriving in makeshift settlements are children under the age of 17. A recent assessment was carried out to determine what unique challenges these children face, and how those needs can be met. 

We’re very excited to share that Red Cross volunteer, donor and partner Murad Al-Katib won the Oslo Business for Peace Award for his contributions to feeding refugee families. This honour comes as no surprise to us, as Murad is known for his dedication and care both at home and around the world.  

“Le coeur de la classe.” That’s what Julian’s teacher calls him – the heart of the class. The 10-year-old Ottawa boy has always had a generous spirit and been aware of those around him who might be going through difficult times. As individuals and families in his region were affected by flooding this past week, Julian decided to embark on a fundraising effort to support them.

Clarence-Rockland is a city of just over 22,000 people, about 40 km east of Ottawa. Many of the city’s residents live along the Ottawa River, which is currently at its highest level in decades. Out of approximately 140 homes in the river’s vicinity, 24 have been evacuated and others are still dealing with dangerously high water levels. More on how the Canadian Red Cross is helping affected residents.

Meet Erwan Cheneval, a rapid response manager with the Canadian Red Cross. Erwan works to address some of the challenges that happen when mobilizing humanitarian operations, details that are extremely important to the success of these operations. 

Disasters and emergencies, like the spring flooding that’s currently impacting Canadians across the country, put a lot of stress on people who are affected.  It’s important to remember that living through a disaster or emergency is extremely stressful, and because of that it’s totally normal to feel extremely stressed out.