Floods are the most frequent and costly natural disasters in Canada. A flood is often caused by heavy rainfall and the rapid melting of a thick snow pack in the spring. During this time the majority of Canadian rivers, and other large bodies of water, swell, increasing the risk of flooding. The potential for flood damage is particularly high where there is development on low-lying, flood-prone lands.

Canadian Red Cross delegate Karen Leiva is currently on a mission in Micronesia with the International Federation of Red Cross to assess the damage caused by Typhoon Maysak. It’s considered a silent disaster, as it has gone mostly unnoticed outside of the region and occurred on the heels of another emergency in the Pacific, Cyclone Pam. The Red Cross responds to hundreds of these silent disasters every year. Karen shares some of the challenges of reaching remote communities.

The 2015 Canadian Red Cross Day of Pink on April 8th reached across the entire province of Manitoba with more than 335 schools and workplaces joining in on the celebrations.

This is the story of Ebola survivor Fatmata Amara, approximately 60 years old, as told to Anna MacSwan, British Red Cross.

When we first found out that Ebola had come to Komende Luyama, I felt bad because it was my daughter who had been the initial patient.

The Red Cross uses many different ways to provide assistance in countries around the world. In this case, bikes! In March, a ceremony took place to mark the donation of 50 bicycles and first aid kits from the Chinese Red Cross to its Senegalese counterpart.

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

This guest blog post is in celebration of the Day of Pink, taking place in Saskatchewan on April 1 and Manitoba and elsewhere on April 8. 
 
It's not your imagination: children who are struggling with mental health, neurodevelopmental, and behavioural challenges are more likely to be bullied—and/or to bully—other children.

As a paramedic, I recently responded to a call in a local store for a female who may have been having a seizure. When I entered the store, staff greeted me at the door and guided me several aisles down to a female lying on her side on the floor. Store staff had already redirected customers away from the scene while another staff member was down by the injured woman’s side, keeping her calm.