World disasters and emergencies

People wait for relief items to be taken off of truck following Afghanistan earthquake.

Afghanistan earthquake 2023: thousands affected in Herat province

A deadly earthquake has killed more than 2,000 people in Herat, Afghanistan and left many families homeless.

content type Article estimated reading time 2 minutes
A mother holds her baby in a dusty landscape in Taita Taveta in Kenya. She is surrounded by starving animals.

Africa hunger crisis: more than 140 million people are now struggling to eat

Soaring food prices, conflict and climate change are plunging Africa into a severe and enduring food crisis. The British Red Cross has launched an appeal to help avert catastrophe.

content type Article estimated reading time 5 minutes
A pair of hands hold harvested maize from a field

Africa food crisis: the Red Cross response

The Red Cross and Red Crescent are providing immediate aid as well as longer term solutions to the crisis

content type Story estimated reading time 4 minutes
One of the Women's Squads of Barishal

It starts with her: an update on the brave women of Barishal

18 months into the ‘It starts with her’ programme, which received generous donations from the British public and UK government, women are getting heard.

content type Article estimated reading time 3 minutes
Emergency response volunteer Kenny drives through floodwater in a British Red Cross vehicle to reach the community of Fishlake, Doncaster.

Are extreme weather events becoming more frequent?

The Met Office’s senior climate scientist Nikos Christidis explains the link between extreme weather events and climate change

content type Article estimated reading time 2 minutes
Standing in front of woods blackened by fire with their backs to the camera, an Australian Red Cross volunteer puts his arm around a woman as she lowers her head.

Australian bush fires: how the Red Cross helped to reunite and rebuild

A moving first-person account of how the Red Cross helped people before, during and after the Australian bush fires.

content type Article estimated reading time 3 minutes
British Red Cross chief executive, Beatrice Butsana-Sita

Why we reject hate, racism, violence and discrimination

During the coronavirus pandemic, more than ever, let's treat each other with kindness

content type Article estimated reading time 2 minutes
Fast-moving water is seen flooding through a built-up area in Pakistan

Pakistan Floods 2022

Learn about the Pakistan floods in 2022. The worst flooding in decades that affected millions of people and killed more than 1,700 people.

content type Story estimated reading time 2 minutes
Women including a Red Cross volunteer pass sandbags to each other, surrounded by floodwater

"Climate change is not a future problem - it's here and now"

The IPCC states that climate change is already contributing to humanitarian crises

content type Article estimated reading time 2 minutes
A person in a Red Cross uniform walks towards a wildfire at night.

"Climate change: these extremes are the new normal, the time to adapt is now"

Richard Blewitt, executive director, British Red Cross sets out some startling figures on climate change, and explains why it’s vital that we raise our global ambition.

content type Article estimated reading time 4 minutes
A devastated man in India cries as he loses his fiance to the coronavirus

What is happening in Yemen? 21.6 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian support

Years of conflict, the effects of climate change and a floundering economy mean that Yemen's situation is desperate. It must not be forgotten.

content type Article estimated reading time 2 minutes
A man driving an IFRC vehicle surveys the scene in the aftermath of Cyclone Batsirai

Madagascar: The aftermath of Cyclone Batsirai

On 5th February, Cyclone Batsirai made landfall on the eastern coast of Madagascar

content type Article estimated reading time 2 minutes