Each year, disasters disrupt millions of lives, with the changing climate, urbanization, and population growth increasing the risks for vulnerable communities. These challenges require proactive solutions to reduce suffering and build resilience.
The American Red Cross partners with local Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world to strengthen disaster preparedness—especially for climate-related events. By providing technical support and funding for locally driven projects, we help create safer, healthier, and more resilient communities.
As a field technician with the Guatemala Red Cross, Sebastian Espinoza brings passion and local insight to the “Strengthening Disaster Preparedness and Response Capacity in Guatemala” project, working alongside American Red Cross colleagues.
In high-risk areas of Quiche, teams are helping vulnerable communities prepare for disasters through cost-effective strategies. Collaborating with schools and local leaders, they’ve developed evacuation plans, identified external resources, and implemented tools like early warning systems and communication strategies. For Sebastian, a lifelong resident of Quiche, this work is deeply personal.
- Photo by Andres Lemus/Guatemala Red Cross
The American Red Cross supports an average of 25 overseas disaster responses annually through funding and deployment of disaster specialists. In 14 partner countries, we focus on climate-smart, community-based disaster risk reduction by strengthening urban preparedness, institutionalizing early warning systems, and engaging youth leaders.
We collaborate with national Red Cross societies, the IFRC, the Global Disaster Preparedness Center, and the Climate Centre. In urban and coastal areas, we help develop heat action plans, support local preparedness efforts, and provide cash assistance for early lifesaving actions. To inspire grassroots climate action, we train youth leaders across the global Red Cross network in advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership to raise awareness and drive community resilience.
The American Red Cross is investing to support two global reference centers: the Global Disaster Preparedness Center and the Climate Centre, as well as global response readiness, National Society organizational development, and more formal partnership arrangements with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Secretariat and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Global Disaster Preparedness Center, established by American Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is a reference center that supports innovation and learning in disaster preparedness. The center enhances community disaster risk reduction – namely preparedness – through development of the capacities of Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies and through a service-oriented and demand-driven approach to building community resilience.
The American Red Cross supports the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Climate Centre, which exists to help Red Cross and Red Crescent Network partners reduce the impacts of the climate crisis and extreme weather events on vulnerable people. This work is done through improvements in early-warning systems, disaster risk reduction activities, establishing climate-smart programs for healthcare, water and sanitation, urban heat, youth engagement, anticipatory action and food security.
From your home computer, you can help ensure that disaster responders get relief to the people who need it – even in the world’s most remote areas.
Support our international work from your community: support our measles campaigns or help reconnect families after international crises.
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