Helping All Around the World

INTERNATIONAL SERVICES ACTIVITY UPDATE

Millions of people in countries across the globe are experiencing devastating disasters that have taken their homes, their livelihoods, and tragically for some, their loved ones. This International Services Activity Update provides a brief snapshot of significant international disasters that the American Red Cross is currently monitoring or responding to.

The Caribbean – Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl was the first major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, making landfall on July 1, 2024 as a Category 5 storm with nearly 170 mph winds, leaving behind a path of destruction across multiple Caribbean countries.

In Grenada, all homes on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique were either damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Beryl, and there is still limited access to clean water and sanitation. Also, the country is now facing a rapid increase in Dengue fever cases, with over 200 reported, many involving children. The affected islands are facing significant public health risks, as seen in the rise of respiratory infections, Dengue cases, and gastroenteritis.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines suffered an estimated economic blow of more than $230 million following the storm. Over two-thirds of the damage was to residential buildings, leaving thousands homeless. Critical infrastructure, including power, water and transportation, was destroyed, while the tourism industry, vital to the economy, suffered immense losses.

In Jamaica, Hurricane Beryl caused significant damage across multiple parishes and the government declared the entire island a disaster area.

The economic toll of Hurricane Beryl across the Caribbean is substantial, with extensive damage to key sectors, such as agriculture, fishing, and tourism. The cost of rebuilding and recovery is expected to be significant, straining the already limited resources of these small island nations.

Barbados Red Cross Society, Grenada Red Cross, Jamaica Red Cross, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross have been supporting damage and needs assessments, distributing relief items, and implementing response and recovery interventions in coordination with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and local disaster management authorities.

The American Red Cross has pledged $199,000 to support those impacted by Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean. Additionally, the American Red Cross has provided technical support to the operation by mobilizing seven disaster response specialists for information management and relief operations to support the global Red Cross network’s response to this crisis.

Myanmar – Tropical Cyclone Yagi
Last September, strong winds and heavy rainfall from Typhoon Yagi triggered severe flooding and landslides across Myanmar. An estimated 1.1 million people were affected, with close to 360 reported deaths. The severe weather left widespread destruction across the affected regions.

The flooding displaced more than 320,000 people, who were relocated to temporary camps that are now facing overcrowding and insufficient access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. More than 141,000 buildings, including homes, schools, offices, and critical infrastructure, more than 500 some roads and bridges, and 90 telecom towers were reported damaged or destroyed across Myanmar. Additionally, more than 105,000 animals, including livestock, were reported dead.

The impact of the floods further exacerbates Myanmar’s pre-existing humanitarian crisis. The country is already grappling with over 3 million internally displaced people due to violence, conflict, political instability and natural disasters. Over 18 million people, or one-third of the population, need humanitarian assistance. These compounding factors, alongside rising poverty and limited access to basic goods, hygiene and healthcare, are intensifying the vulnerabilities faced by Myanmar's population.

The Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) has mobilized resources to provide immediate relief to the most vulnerable households. Their operations focus on emergency shelter, livelihood support, cash assistance, and addressing health, water, sanitation, and hygiene needs. MRCS is also offering mental health and psychosocial support, along with first aid and relocation services. Community engagement and protection measures, including gender and inclusion considerations, are central to their approach.

The American Red Cross has contributed $300,000 to assist the Myanmar Red Cross Society with cash assistance. Additionally, the American Red Cross has provided technical support to the operation by mobilizing two disaster response specialists to provide information management and cash and voucher assistance.

Measles & Rubella Partnership Update
Since 2001, the American Red Cross and partners have been working to keep people safe from measles and rubella through the Measles & Rubella Partnership. This partnership has supported vaccination of more than three billion children against measles in over 88 countries, reducing global measles deaths by 83%.

As a founding member of the partnership, the American Red Cross has supported social mobilization campaigns to increase demands for vaccines and to reach underserved populations. We have also partnered with national societies across the Red Cross and Red Crescent network to train and mobilize volunteers to conduct house-to-house visits among their neighbors, providing information on vaccination campaigns to caregivers and encouraging the vaccination of children.

Over the last several months, the American Red Cross has assisted with several campaigns in Africa. These campaigns focused heavily on community engagement and social mobilization in addition to ongoing vaccination campaigns or supplementary immunization activities. Supplementary immunization activities are vaccination campaigns that target children who have not received the recommended doses of the vaccine or may have missed the previous campaign. Below are some key highlights from the recent campaigns:

• Madagascar – The campaign to conduct community engagement and social mobilization activities has been completed in seven districts in the Vakinankaratra Region. Preliminary data indicates that more approximately 434,000 households were visited by more than 1,400 volunteers during the campaign.
• Nigeria – The community engagement and social mobilization activities were successfully completed in Bauchi state. Preliminary data indicate that more than 1.1 million households were visited by more than 2,600 volunteers.
• Benin – A nationwide measles and rubella supplementary immunization campaign was completed. During this campaign, more than 1,000 volunteers were able to reach more than 414,000 households in the districts of Couffo and Atlantique.