natural disaster Archives

Amazon Wildfires 2024

Multiple countries in the Amazon are facing a heightened season of wildfires, causing large swaths of land to be at risk for severe damage.

In Bolivia, more than 56,000 wildfire outbreaks have been recorded since January, accounting for the largest number of wildfires in the country since 2010. Over 3 million hectares of land have been burned. Traditionally Bolivia’s wildfire season peaks in August and September but officials are preparing to continue fighting fires until possibly years end. 8,000 people have been confirmed affected in over 40 municipalities within the country. Officials have reported that getting accurate information out of the affected areas is proving incredibly difficult. They suspect the actual number of affected people is much higher, around 73,500. Bolivia has declared a national state of emergency and has invited international support to assist with combating the wildfires.

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Wildfire season in Paraguay typically peaks in the fall but by March of 2024 more than 100 forest fires had already broken out. The fires destroyed land, causing a significant amount of environmental damage and raised concerns about air quality and the safety of nearby communities. Currently, the country is facing another series of severe wildfires primarily concentrated in the Chaco Paraguayo region. More than 84,000 hectares of forest have been burned in this region alone with more than 105,000 hectares burned across the country. These fires are posing a huge threat to land and biodiversity with many protected regions and nature reserves currently at risk. Firefighters are working with local communities to try and contain the fires but have flagged that they do not have enough resources to cover the efforts needed.

This year’s wildfire season in Peru has also been significant, causing at least 16 deaths and the burning of about 3,000 hectares of forest, protected areas, and agricultural land in 22 of 24 Peruvian regions, and 1,800 more civilians were impacted by the fires. These fires continue to burn and affect rainforest, over 240 have been burning in September alone. These fires threaten vital forest area in the range of the Andes mountains and continue to threaten the public.

The worst drought on record in Brazil is exacerbating a critical wildfire situation in the Amazon rainforest. Smoke from the wildfires is decreasing air quality, grounding flights and shutting down schools. More than 38,000 fire outbreaks were reported in the Amazon in August which is a 120% increase compared to the same period last year. The majority of those fighting the fires on the front lines are rural volunteer units and more resources are desperately needed in order to calm the spread of the fires.

GlobalMedic has been running our expanded wildfire response program in Canada since 2023. The goal of the program is to provide additional resources to assist rural and volunteer fire departments in their wildfire responses so they can better protect their communities. To date, GlobalMedic has donated over 200 fire skids to fire departments across Canada and plans to distribute dozens more this year.

We are taking lessons learned from the response to unprecedented fires here at home and working with our local partners to create impactful responses to the wildfires burning in Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Brazil.

RescUAV

GlobalMedic’s RescUAV team deployed to Bolivia to provide training and equipment to increase the capacity of departments responding to the wildfires. Our RescUAV team uses advanced drone technology for situational awareness, damage assessment, and mapping of the disaster area. Our team brought UAVs to hand off to local officials and conducted training for responders on how to use UAVs in wildfire response.

Fire Skids

Just like our Canadian Wildfire Program, our efforts internationally also prioritize increasing the capacity of local fire departments so they have more tools available to fight the wildfires. GlobalMedic Rapid Response Teams have been working with fabricators to produce fire skid units locally in Bolivia. These units are modelled after the fire skids we utilize here in Canada. They are a self-contained unit with a large tank, pump and fire hose, which can be placed in the back of a pick up truck to create another response vehicle. Modifications have been made to account for the realities of fighting fires in the Bolivian context. Our team has distributed 20 fire skid units to Bolivian fire departments to date.

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Typhoon Gaemi Response

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The combined effect of the existing southern monsoon and Typhoon Gaemi (Carina), has brought intense rains across the Philippines. The main island of Luzon has been heavily impacted. In Metro Manila, home to 13.5 million people, the rainfall has caused urban flooding, road closures, and significant disruptions. On July 24, the Marikina River rose to 18 meters which triggered the mandatory evacuation of many households. Widespread flooding and landslides are occurring across the island with strong winds uprooting trees and causing widespread power outages. More than 880,000 people have been affected by Typhoon Gaemi and the monsoons. More than 610,000 people have been displaced since July 18 and more than 35,000 people remain in evacuation centres. These numbers are expected to increase as more rainfall continues throughout the coming days.

GlobalMedic has a long history of responding to disasters in the Philippines including Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. One of our local partners is the Trinity Volunteer Fire Department Inc. We have worked closely with them on numerous responses such as the eruption of the Taal Volcano in 2020 and Tropical Storm Megi in 2022. GlobalMedic and our sister charity GlobalFire have worked with the department to organize donations of firefighting equipment to increase their ability to respond to emergencies.

Trinity has been actively responding to the flooding caused by Typhoon Gaemi, using equipment provided by GlobalMedic including rescue boats. They have been assisting families trapped by the flooding, allowing them to get either to an evacuation centre or other safe zone. We are continuing to support Trinity in this response and are monitoring the changing needs on the ground in order to expand relief efforts.

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Pakistan Flooding 2022

Since June 2022, Pakistan has been bombarded by severe monsoon weather. As of August 27, rainfall in the country is equivalent to 2.9 times the national average. The extreme weather has caused widespread flooding and landslides, leading to the destruction of property and infrastructure. There has also been an enormous impact on human lives: Since June 14, an estimated 1,033 people have been killed and 1,527 people injured, with those numbers expected to increase with the continued rain.

Right now, approximately 33 million people in Pakistan have been impacted by the disaster. Some of the most urgent needs among those affected are those in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). An estimated 3.8 million people are in need of WASH support due to contaminated water and limited access to hygiene items.

The contamination of water supply and destruction of water filtration systems in Pakistan has already exacerbated ongoing disease outbreaks. The World Health Organization has already noted the increased spread of illnesses like acute watery diarrhoea, dengue fever, malaria, polio, and COVID-19. The humanitarian situation in Pakistan will likely worsen even more with the continuation of heavy rain over areas already hit by flooding.

3.9 MILLION PEOPLE IN NEED OF WASH SUPPORT

33 MILLION PEOPLE AFFECTED

FLOODS COVERING MORE THAN 1/3 OF THE COUNTRY

Water purification system set up at a communal kitchen

GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team is on the ground in Pakistan working to respond to these growing concerns. In response to the growing outbreaks of diarrheals and other communicable diseases, our team is distributing oral rehydration salts and other medicines to prevent minor cases from developing into life threatening illnesses. 312,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts have been distributed to health clinics and directly to families impacted by the flooding.

We are also working to provide access to clean drinking water both with large point of use systems being used at communal kitchens and clinics and through the provision of Family Emergency Kits. Seven large scale systems have been purchased locally and the RRT carried two AquaResponse3 systems into Pakistan with them. The Family Emergency Kits provide an at home water purification solution as well as essential hygiene supplies. These units will allow families to have access to clean drinking water for up to a year which will be crucial in maintaining their health through the recovery phase of this disaster. To date we have distributed 3,600 FEKs in multiple flood affected regions.

Finally, we are providing food hampers to families displaced by the flooding. These hampers provide a mixture of culturally appropriate staple goods and are procured and packed in Pakistan, supporting the local economy. To date, 10,000 food hampers have been distributed. The needs in Pakistan are immense and our teams continue to evaluate the situation on the ground so we can be mobile and adaptive in our response.

Volunteers preparing Family Emergency Kits

Tonga Volcanic Eruption Response 2022

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano started erupting in late December 2021 and led to a large eruption on January 15, 2022. The volcanic eruption was the worst to hit the Pacific in decades. The eruption generated a 1.2-metre tsunami that hit coastal areas of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa as well as several other countries of the Pacific Ocean. The eruption also generated a 5km wide plume of ash, steam and gas which blew across the islands of Tonga, leaving a 1-2cm layer of volcanic ash in their wake and causing damage and health hazards across the island nation.

The entire population of Tonga, approximately 105,000 people, was impacted by the eruption and about 84,000 of those people were directly affected. Significant damage was reported across the country. Falling ash also caused the contamination of essential water sources, leaving island residents without access to this fundamental resource.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the crisis in Tonga. The poverty rate in Tonga before this eruption was 25% and as a country that relies heavily on tourism, many industries and businesses have been seriously affected because of COVID-19. This has made the country’s recovery even more difficult.

2 CM OF VOLCANIC ASH

1.2 METRE TSUNAMI

105,000 PEOPLE IMPACTED

The country’s recovery is still ongoing six months after the volcanic eruption and many Tongans are still in need of access to safe water. GlobalMedic is responding. Working with our local partners, GlobalMedic is supporting families in need by supplying Family Emergency Kits. These kits provide a holistic solution to safe water access and include a gravity-fed water purification unit, hygiene items, oral rehydration salts, and solar lights. We have sent 1,440 FEKs to date.

Tonga: Multiple people standing in front of a line of tables. A large carton of solar lights sits behind the table. People are passing items down an assembly line.

Tonga: A man wearing an orange hi-vis vest driving a forklift. There is a skid of boxes in front of the forklift waiting to be picked up and loaded into the open sea container in front of it.

GlobalMedic’s RescUAV Team deployed in August to deliver Drone Pilot Training to participants from Tonga Police, National Emergency Management Office, Tonga Civil Aviation Division, Tonga Geological & Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, Tonga Fire & Emergency Services and others. Over the course of this 5 day training our team worked to increase the response capacity of the participating agencies so when the next natural disaster occurs they are better equipped to gather information.

Tonga: A group of men stand around an instructor wearing a GlobalMedic t shirt. A UAV rests on a piece of wood in front of the group.

Tonga: Multiple people standing spaced out in a large field with palm trees in the background

Sylhet Flooding 2022

Beginning in May 2022, seasonal rains set off a series of devastating flash floods with a second wave of floods occurring in the second half of June. Over the course of the summer rains and flooding continued impacting an estimated 7.2 million people across 9 districts in Bangladesh including Sylhet. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of agricultural lands were damaged and extensive damage to roads and bridges occurred in Sylhet. More than 106,000 water points were damaged leaving thousands of families without access to clean drinking water. This put these families at risk for developing dangerous water borne diseases like cholera which is endemic in Bangladesh.

74 PEOPLE KILLED

7.2 MILLION PEOPLE AFFECTED

9 DISTRICTS IMPACTED

Sylhet Flooding Response: Two women facing away from the camera holding boxes on their shoulders. The boxes have circular GlobalMedic stickers on them

Sylhet Flooding Response: A woman drinking water from a glass kneeling in front of a water filtration unit unit

GlobalMedic responded by assembling and distributing 900 Family Emergency Kits in flood affected communities. Each kit included a point of use water purification unit, allowing families to purify water in their homes and protecting their heath. Additionally, the kits included hygiene items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap to help families maintain normalcy and adequate hygiene practices. In collaboration with local partners, these kits were distributed supporting 4,500 flood affected people with these urgently needed resources.

Tropical Storm Megi Response 2022

On April 10, 2022 Tropical Storm Megi, known locally as Agaton, made landfall in the Philippines. The storm travelled along the eastern and southern coasts of the country causing devastating flooding and landslides. At least 2.2 million people were affected by the storm which killed 212 and displaced more than 800,000 residents. Thousands of homes were damaged, and many displaced families were not able to consistently access clean drinking water.

212 KILLED

2.2 MILLION PEOPLE AFFECTED

800,000 DISPLACED

GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team deployed to respond to the affects of Tropical Storm Megi. Two teams were deployed, the first to Tacloban and the second to Iloilo. Both teams carried with them AquaResponse systems, capable of purifying thousands of litres of clean drinking water per day. The teams carried three AquaResponse 3 systems and one AquaResponse10 system with them into the country. Both teams worked with local partners to install the systems at central points to provide access to water at the community level. More than 32,000 people were able to access clean drinking water as a result of the installation of these systems.

The RRT members in Tacloban worked to support families staying in displacement shelters by providing hygiene items and food. Meanwhile, the team in Iloilo conducted needs assessments in the surrounding communities identifying a major need to support with the rebuilding of damaged homes. The team worked to purchase materials and begin the rebuild of 21 homes in the area.

World Humanitarian Day 2021

Kaitlin Waters – Communications Intern

World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is held every year on August 19, to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world. GlobalMedic also tributes WHD as the day that we all collectively recognize humanitarian personnel and their efforts, as well as the rising climate crisis.

GlobalMedic was founded on emergency response and humanitarianism. While we run many non-emergency and capacity-building programs, most of our work continues to be critical intervention in the wake of disaster and crisis. WHD is the day we get to reflect with our global community on all the hard work we’ve collectively done over the years.

A Bit of History on World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the death of Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 of his fellow humanitarians in a bombing of the Baghdad headquarters of the UN in 2003. The United Nations General Assembly formalized the day as World Humanitarian Day in 2009. Each year WHD focuses on a theme, and last year’s theme was paying special tribute to the real-life heroes who have committed their lives to help others in the most extreme circumstances around the world, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year WHD is highlighting “the immediate human cost of the climate crisis by pressuring world leaders to take meaningful climate action for the world’s most vulnerable people (UN, 2021).”

What’s so Important About This Year’s Theme?

Over the years, it has become more widely understood that climate change and climate emergencies have immediate consequences on the world, especially to the most vulnerable. This year’s WHD is focused on highlighting these consequences and ensuring that the voices of vulnerable people are heard. With the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November, this theme is set to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In hopes that the COP26 world leaders not only talk about climate change but also what nations are planning to do to tackle it.

#TheHumanRace is not just about raising awareness or the COP26 conference, it’s about no longer standing on the sidelines, and entering the race against climate change. GlobalMedic has been a part of #TheHumanRace and operating in disasters and conflicts for almost 20 years. Within our years of operation we’ve noticed that the needs are only continuing to increase and as a global community, we need to be aware of some of these consequences.

“The climate crisis doesn’t affect everyone equally. People in vulnerable communities are already losing their homes, their livelihoods, and their lives”
UN, 2021

What GlobalMedic Does to Combat Climate Emergencies

During my summer internship, I’ve learned about the wide array of programs and responses that operate within GlobalMedic. From the Water, Food, Flood, Medical, Shelter, and drone RescUAV programs, GlobalMedic is diversified and modular in any humanitarian situation, both domestically in Canada and abroad to help people in need.

GlobalMedic’s responses are usually in conjunction with humanitarian crises and consistent climate disruption. Hurricanes, forest fires, droughts, and floods have been increasingly prevalent in day-to-day life and have become more severe due to the continuous strain we put on our environment. Climate change is a top driver of humanitarian need and human suffering, particularly for the poorest countries. The impacts threaten to deepen already wide inequalities, resulting in consequences felt by the world at large, including instability, violence, and displacement. The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis.

Below are some responses GlobalMedic runs in conjunction with the climate change and humanitarian crisis:

Forest Fires

Forest fires have been increasing dramatically, as climate change is leading to longer, harsher droughts and more extreme weather events. In early 2020, we witnessed this through the massive forest fires that blazed through Australia, an event that heightened our awareness of the impacts we have on our environment.

GlobalMedic responded to the wildfires here in Canada from Fort McMurray in 2016, British Columbia in 2017, and Alberta in 2019. GlobalMedic is also on standby with the forest fires spreading across Canada this year, and even more alarmed that forest fires have broken out in other parts of the world like the Mediterranean. Our responses are built upon the resources, support, and capacity to manage the emergency. However, with increased fluctuation in both the intensity and amount of forest fires, and natural disasters in general, many organizations must prepare for an increased strain on their operations, and the people being affected.

Time is already running out for the world’s most vulnerable people — those who have contributed least to the global climate emergency yet are hit the hardest, and millions of others are already losing their homes, their livelihoods, and their lives.

A group of volunteers packing hygiene kits to support Canadians in Fort McMurray

Hurricanes

Climate change has increased tropical cyclone intensity, rainfall, and storm surges. We can see these increased intensities through Hurricane Dorian 2019, and Hurricanes Eta and Iota that hit the same areas back-to-back at the end of 2020 — both of which GlobalMedic responded to. With hurricanes and tropical storms becoming more severe, GlobalMedic wants to highlight the immediate consequences of the climate emergency for the world’s most vulnerable people. We as a global community need to stand in solidarity with the needs of climate-vulnerable people and make sure their voices are heard.

Hurricane Dorian 2019 was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, which became the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas and tied for the strongest landfall in the Atlantic basin. It is also regarded as the worst natural disaster in the Bahamas’ recorded history. 43 people were killed and over 76,000 people were affected by the storm. With the damage so extensive, people in the Bahamas were in immediate need of clean water, food, and shelter items. Immediately following the storm, GlobalMedic deployed our Rapid Response Team with several aid responses and the RescUAV Team with drones to provide on-the-ground assistance. Though GlobalMedic may have alleviated the humanitarian emergency within the area, we cannot help but reflect that this is a worldly by-product of environmental negligence.

#TheHumanRace

Because of everyone’s increased struggle in combating the effects of climate change, this year’s theme is aimed at increasing awareness, action, and vocalization of climate change. Join GlobalMedic and other humanitarian leaders and organizations in their efforts. May it be volunteering, donating, or becoming an environmental advocate in your day-to-day life, one thing is for certain, #TheHumanRace has already started, and we are not too far behind to catch up!

Click to find out more about World Humanitarian Day, GlobalMedic’s Hurricane Dorian response as well as our other programs, and how you can be a part of #TheHumanRace!