News
Red Cross responds as typhoon Morakot cuts across East Asia
August 10 2009Typhoon Morakot has made landfall on China’s south east coast having cut a swathe of destruction across the northern Philippines and Taiwan. The most severe storm to have hit China’s coast this year, Morakot arrived in Fujian Province on 9 August with wind speeds exceeding 100 miles an hour.
In Fujian the Red Cross Society of China is distributing emergency supplies to 5,000 families. Relief items such as towels, flip-flops, cutlery and hygiene kits are badly needed by the thousands of people who have been given temporary shelter in municipal buildings. In neighbouring Zhejiang province, where at least one child was reported killed in a collapsed house, the Red Cross is working to provide similar support to families in need.
Early warning by SMS
The low loss of life in China was largely thanks to good preparedness measures taken well ahead of the advancing typhoon. Close to a million people in the two provinces were evacuated by local authorities - supported by the Red Cross. Among other measures, eight million SMS messages were sent as part of the early warning system.
“There is very good contingency planning in place, especially in the more urban areas, but the weaknesses remain in more rural areas, where protecting communities is a challenge in the face of such threats as landslides,” says Qinghui Gu, IFRC East Asian Regional Disaster Management Coordinator. Read full article 
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Main topics:
- Disaster Management
- Health and Care
- Early warning early action
- Advocacy
- Communications
- Community risk reduction
- Youth
- Getting started
Disaster Management
Climate change can act as a catalyst for enhanced disaster management.
Health and Care
Many national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies will be touched by the health implications of climate change.
Early warning early action
Routinely taking humanitarian action before a disaster or health emergency happens, making full use of scientific information on all timescales.
Advocacy
The Red Cross and Red Crescent never works in isolation. Partnerships are more important than ever in the context of global warming.
Communications
The global climate is changing and the past no longer explains the present.
Community risk reduction
The Red Cross and Red Crescent has traditionally focused on response. But now other aspects, including risk reduction, are also given priority.
Youth
Red Cross Red Crescent youth take action to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Getting started
The Red Cross Red Crescent has a growing body of experience working on addressing climate change. Here’s how to use it to get started.
Take a look at Red Cross Red Crescent climate change activities on the worldmap
