An earthquake, tsunami, flood or cyclone can have a devastating impact on entire communities.
Within a matter of minutes, natural disasters can affect the lives of tens of thousands of people. Hundreds or even thousands of people can be injured, homes and livelihoods destroyed. Access to clean water, healthcare services and transport can also be disrupted. The impact of each disaster varies greatly and our response must adapt to each situation.
Needs must be quickly identified, but accessing a disaster zone can be complex when roads are cut off. The first responders are people already on-site: community members, local authorities and aid organisations already present.
We keep pre-packaged kits to deploy for rapid relief and life-saving assistance. With projects in over 70 countries, we often have aid workers nearby when a disaster strikes. They can be reinforced with additional teams if a larger response is needed.
In north-eastern parts of Kenya, an ongoing drought rages following three consecutive seasons of failed rains, making an already dire food insecurity situation worse.
MSF team has been on the ground assisting the most vulnerable communities.
152,000 internally displaced people are now spread across 178 displacement camps in southern Malawi and are in desperate need of assistance.
MSF emergency teams will start providing medical and humanitarian assistance to communities on the remote islands of Dinagat, Siargao and other outlying areas, some of the worst affected by Typhoon Rai.
Eight months since the beginning of the flooding, people in Unity State are still facing precarious living conditions and are at risk of outbreaks of infectious and waterborne diseases, increased food insecurity and malnutrition
The dangerously slow and inadequate humanitarian response is putting lives at risk
After years of witnessing how climate change has likely exacerbated health and humanitarian crises in multiple contexts where we work, we are compelled to speak out about what we see.
An earthquake, tsunami, flood or cyclone can have a devastating impact on entire communities.
Within a matter of minutes, natural disasters can affect the lives of tens of thousands of people. Hundreds or even thousands of people can be injured, homes and livelihoods destroyed. Access to clean water, healthcare services and transport can also be disrupted. The impact of each disaster varies greatly and our response must adapt to each situation.
Needs must be quickly identified, but accessing a disaster zone can be complex when roads are cut off. The first responders are people already on-site: community members, local authorities and aid organisations already present.
We keep pre-packaged kits to deploy for rapid relief and life-saving assistance. With projects in over 70 countries, we often have aid workers nearby when a disaster strikes. They can be reinforced with additional teams if a larger response is needed.
