Geneva/Ankara/Damascus (6 February 2023) - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is launching Emergency Appeals for CHF 200 million to respond to a deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

The Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent have immediately mobilized to support communities affected: needs are growing minute by minute. Rescue teams have been reaching hardest-hit areas where survivors remain trapped under rubble.

In Türkiye, teams from the Turkish Red Crescent deployed in ten affected provinces in the south and southeast regions with stocks of food and basic aid items such as tents and blankets to support those injured and evacuated. Their teams are also providing psychological support, distributing hot meals and sending its national stock of blood and plasma to the affected regions.

In Syria, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has been responding on the ground since early morning, supporting search and rescue operations, providing first aid, performing emergency medical evacuations and transporting injured people to the hospitals. A big number of buildings collapsed amidst vulnerable living situations and very harsh weather conditions.

“This earthquake caused unfathomable damage. Our worst fear is coming true. In this response, every minute counts,” said Xavier Castellanos, IFRC Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination.

“The vulnerabilities are coupled on top of harsh winter conditions, making it unbearable for many. The vulnerable living conditions, particularly in Syria, are even further stretched in a decade-long war. People who lost their homes and loved ones need our support. We must join forces and do our best to help.”

Increased global support and solidarity to deliver humanitarian assistance is essential in the weeks and months of recovery ahead. IFRC will launch two International Appeals, CHF 80 million to support people in Syria with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and CHF 120 million in Türkiye with the Turkish Red Crescent

Geneva/Ankara/Damascus (6 February 2023) - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is launching Emergency Appeals for CHF 200 million to respond to a deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

The Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent have immediately mobilized to support communities affected: needs are growing minute by minute. Rescue teams have been reaching hardest-hit areas where survivors remain trapped under rubble.

In Türkiye, teams from the Turkish Red Crescent deployed in ten affected provinces in the south and southeast regions with stocks of food and basic aid items such as tents and blankets to support those injured and evacuated. Their teams are also providing psychological support, distributing hot meals and sending its national stock of blood and plasma to the affected regions.

In Syria, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has been responding on the ground since early morning, supporting search and rescue operations, providing first aid, performing emergency medical evacuations and transporting injured people to the hospitals. A big number of buildings collapsed amidst vulnerable living situations and very harsh weather conditions.

“This earthquake caused unfathomable damage. Our worst fear is coming true. In this response, every minute counts,” said Xavier Castellanos, IFRC Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination.

“The vulnerabilities are coupled on top of harsh winter conditions, making it unbearable for many. The vulnerable living conditions, particularly in Syria, are even further stretched in a decade-long war. People who lost their homes and loved ones need our support. We must join forces and do our best to help.”

Increased global support and solidarity to deliver humanitarian assistance is essential in the weeks and months of recovery ahead. IFRC will launch two International Appeals, CHF 80 million to support people in Syria with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and CHF 120 million in Türkiye with the Turkish Red Crescent

Please use the following links to donate to our response in each country:

·         Donate to Syria response

·         Donate to Türkiye response

The IFRC is grateful for your valuable support which will enable us to help the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and Turkish Red Crescent to deliver lifesaving support.

Click here for general information about donating to the IFRC.

Follow these Twitter accounts for the latest updates:

·         @IFRC

·         @IFRC_Europe

·         @IFRC_MENA

·         @SYRedCrescent - Syrian Arab Red Crescent

·         @RedCrescent - Turkish Red Crescent

Useful links

·         Our first press release from Monday 6 February with an initial update and announcing our two appeals.

·         First batch of rights-free images of our responses in Syria and Türkiye on IFRC Newsroom.

·         General information about earthquakes and earthquake preparedness.

Learn About What is it Like Working as a Humanitarian

Join on February 16 at 5 p.m. ET for a discussion with Michael Stone, the president of the Alumni Association of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent. Michael has extensive experience in humanitarian response with special reference to refugees and internally displaced persons and the conflict areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, former Yugoslavia, former Soviet Union and Iraq. Register for the event.

International Humanitarian Law Resources

With international conflict making the front page of the national and local press, many former Red Crossers are interested in keeping up-to-date on Humanitarian Law issues and the Red Cross response.  Below are some resources that you might find of interest:

1     The ICRC website and database. Those are full of information about the law, violations of IHL, sources of IHL and so much more. 

a.    Glossary of IHL terminology

b.    Geneva conventions and Additional Protocols - Overview in layman’s terms

c.    Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols - Technical language

d.    Successful Implementation of IHLAround the World

e.    Guidance on the Notion of Direct Participation in Hostilities

f.     ICRC Blog: New Technologies Commentary on AI in warfare and the need for IHL guidance.

g.    Health Care in Danger Movement

2.    Customary IHL-France https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_cou_fr 

3.    War in Syria https://casebook.icrc.org/highlight/war-syria 

4.    https://www.icc-cpi.int/resource-library/documents/rs-eng.pdf  for the Rome Statute and documents for the International Criminal Court 

5.    Relief Web news and updates from many humanitarian organizations like the UN, ICRC, Save the Children presented here. You can find job openings from some of those organizations. It's put together by the UN OCHA (Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). 

6.    Inter Cross Blog, brings you stories from the field. 

The American Red Cross FY22 Annual Report, Bringing Communities Hope,  is now available on redcross.org.

The annual report highlights the accomplishments in Humanitarian Services, Biomedical Services, and Training Services in FY22, as well as showcases Red Cross efforts in the ADVANCE Study, sustainability, and innovation.  The report also provides financial information.

International Humanitarian Law: Born on the Battlefield

Liz Dietz and Larry Dietz (NCCR) will be teaching the International Humanitarian Law Course, Born on the Battlefield

ByAmerican Red Cross International Services

When and where 

Tue, January 17, 2023, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM PST

Register for the free online event 

Please join the International Humanitarian Law: Born on the Battlefield class with Liz Dietz and Larry Dietz on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM (PT) via Microsoft Teams.

This event is hosted and sponsored by the International Services Department of the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region, Central Coast Chapter.

***International Services offers a free service called Restoring Family Links, a program that helps reconnect families who have been separated by armed conflict, disaster, or other humanitarian crisis.

The American Red Cross is tasked with teaching the public about International Humanitarian Law (IHL); a set of universal rules which place basic limits on how war is waged.

This month, in partnership with the National Football League (NFL), the Red Cross is celebrating our team of blood donors during National Blood Donor Month by automatically entering all presenting blood donors for a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.*President Richard Nixon proclaimed January 1970 as the first National Blood Donor Month on December 31, 1969, as requested by Senate Joint Resolution 154, to pay tribute to voluntary blood donors and encourage new donors to join.

Just as Peyton Manning did for nearly 20 years on the football field, he is leading by example by rolling up his sleeve to help patients and asking others to do the same. “If everyone does their part, and we collectively commit to donating blood, we can stack up more wins for hospital patients who are counting on us. A single individual is certainly impactful, but a whole team of people coming together to donate has an even greater effect.”

Avoiding blood shortages means better care for patients and better outcomes

“Patients access to care means having a blood readily available on hospital shelves,” said Dr. Baia Lasky. “It’s important people don’t wait until there’s a crisis to give blood. One in 7 patients entering the hospital will need a blood transfusion, making it one of the most common hospital procedures in the U.S., yet only 3% of the public give.”

Unlike other treatments, blood cannot be stockpiled or manufactured—it can only come from volunteer blood donors. Blood products are not only vital in saving patients’ lives but instrumental in supporting other treatments like chemotherapy.

In fact, every minute about six blood products are needed to help someone going through cancer treatment. This is in part because chemotherapy and radiation, used to treat cancer, can damage the body’s ability to generate healthy blood cells and cause potentially life-threatening conditions. Blood and platelet transfusions from generous donors help to provide patients with critical clotting factors, proteins and antibodies needed to help their bodies fight back.

Step off the sidelines and get in the blood donation game to help score big for patients in need of lifesaving blood. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or call 1-800-Red Cross.

About Blood Donation

A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

• hicle
• Mission Red: Livestreaming
• Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

Companies & Foundations 

• Get Started
• Partnership Opportunities
• Our Corporate Partners
• Cause Marketing
• Other Ways to Give
• Partners: Why We Give

Give by Will or Other Plans »

Everyone watching the Buffalo Bills/ Cincinnati Bangles held their collective breath as medical experts provided CPR to Damar Hamlin, and successfully restarted his heart on the field.   Hamlin was rushed to the hospital, revived again and is now back in Buffalo and continuing his recovery. 

Since this terrible event, the American Red Cross has seen growing interest in the importance of being trained to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and on how to use an AED and recommends that everyone take this lifesaving training.

Call 911.
Start CPR.
Use an AED.

CPR AND AED CPR should be used when someone stops breathing and their heart isn’t beating. CPR keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and heart when the heart stops. While CPR is essential to maintain blood flow through the heart, an AED defibrillator will get the heart started again when it stops which is imperative for maintaining a natural heart rhythm that can help prevent not only death, but brain damage as well.

IT’S CRITICAL TO GET TRAINED During cardiac arrest, every second counts. It can take emergency personnel valuable minutes to arrive on the scene. For every minute without defibrillation, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chance of surviving drops. CPR can double or triple someone’s chance of surviving when bystanders take action.

Whether you want to help your loved ones, assist someone at work, or use your training professionally, the Red Cross can give you the knowledge and skills to be able to help. And there are different ways you can become trained — classes led by instructors, online courses, and classes that offer a mix of both online content and in-class skills sessions.

Call 911.
Start CPR.
Use an AED.

CPR AND AED CPR should be used when someone stops breathing and their heart isn’t beating. CPR keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and heart when the heart stops. While CPR is essential to maintain blood flow through the heart, an AED defibrillator will get the heart started again when it stops which is imperative for maintaining a natural heart rhythm that can help prevent not only death, but brain damage as well.

IT’S CRITICAL TO GET TRAINED During cardiac arrest, every second counts. It can take emergency personnel valuable minutes to arrive on the scene. For every minute without defibrillation, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chance of surviving drops. CPR can double or triple someone’s chance of surviving when bystanders take action.

Whether you want to help your loved ones, assist someone at work, or use your training professionally, the Red Cross can give you the knowledge and skills to be able to help. And there are different ways you can become trained — classes led by instructors, online courses, and classes that offer a mix of both online content and in-class skills sessions.

Find out how to save a life using Hands-Only CPR – which anyone can perform even if you haven't taken a CPR class. And hear from experts about the importance of using CPR with rescue breaths and compressions – particularly on infants and children.

Learn more at: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/performing-cpr/hands-only-cpr

Every community is safer, thanks to the nearly 2.2 million people who train each year in Red Cross CPR and AED classes. Whether you’re at work, school, on vacation or staying at home, knowing how to respond in an emergency can make a difference. Be ready when minutes matter, get trained. Information on Red Cross classes is available here.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2034 people age 65 or older will outnumber those under 18 — a first in the nation’s history. That trend has profound implications for emergency management, especially as floods, droughts, wildfires, tornadoes, heat waves, hurricanes and other weather-related hazards and disruptive events become more common and severe. A growing body of evidence confirms that older adults are disproportionately impacted during disasters. A key to ensuring that older adults are properly served by disaster preparedness and emergency planning is acknowledging — and addressing — the gaps that exist between local emergency management teams and the organizations and government agencies that work with and on behalf of older community members.  Better integrated disaster planning will help local governments better protect all older residents, whether they are living independently in the community or residing in an assisted living or health care facility.  

The AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit has been created for local leaders, government staff, aging services professionals and community volunteers. It is a companion title to the Guide to Expanding Mitigation: Making the Connection to Older Adults, published by FEMA as a resource for emergency management professionals. 

Download a copy of the AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit

Download a copy of the FEMA Mitigation guide older adults

ARCRA is beginning to rebuild the “In Memoriam” listing of Red Cross colleagues who have recently passed away.  We have posted individuals who passed in 2021 Q4 and 2022 Q1 on the ARCRA website. You may remember back to when the original listing was included in “The ARC Retiree Report,” which Red Cross stopped publishing in 2019. You can find back issues of “The ARC Retiree Report “on the ARCRA website in the News Archive section.

Like the previous listings, “In Memoriam” will not be a complete listing of all former Red Cross employees who have died. It includes only those retirees who were part of the American Red Cross Pension Plan at the date of their death and the death of other retirees that have been sent to us.. 

The listing includes the name, city, state, date of death, and the address for his or her online obituary.

Click here to view the names of colleagues who have passed “In Memoriam” and use the links to send a condolence to their family and friends.

The following message is from Noel Anderson, chief sustainability officer:

I am thrilled to introduce our first American Red Cross Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. This report shows our priorities and progress across a range of ESG topics — not only related to sustainability and climate change — but also diversity, equity and inclusion, mission delivery and the organization’s overall commitment to our people and the public. This marks a major milestone and sets the baseline for us to measure our progress for years to come.

This report is also notable as the Red Cross is one of the first humanitarian nonprofits to publish a complete ESG report, even though they are common among for-profit organizations. We are proud to lead the way for other nonprofits and we hope this report will help us to promote our ESG initiatives more broadly.

Our report is written per the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, which are the most widely used standards for ESG reporting. Some highlights include:

• An achievement of a 15% reduction in overall energy consumption since FY19
• Plans to adapt our mission to help those affected by climate-driven extreme weather
• Efforts to improve our workplace and organizational culture, plus the ways we are investing in our employees and volunteers   

We are committed to making ESG a foundational aspect of our mission delivery, which will allow us to rise to new challenges and make a stronger and more resilient Red Cross. We encourage you to share the report with your teams, as well as donors and partners. 

Looking Ahead

While we are incredibly proud of this achievement, the Office of Sustainability and our partners across the Red Cross have been working on several other initiatives that we are excited to share with you.

We’ll be kicking off the new year with another Speaking on Sustainability event featuring Jamie Alexander from Project Drawdown. Jamie is a solutions-oriented corporate climate advocate, coalition builder and founding director of Drawdown Labs. We will be discussing workforce engagement around climate change and sustainability and how every job is a climate job. As part of our event with Jamie, we will be announcing some exciting new sustainability programs, including new ways for Red Crossers across the organization to get involved.

As always, we would love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts on how the Red Cross can be more sustainable using our “Bright Ideas” survey. And of course, you can always reach out to the Office of Sustainability.

Click here to read the full report American Red Cross Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.

On Dec. 10, 1917, the Red Cross received its first Nobel Peace Prize.

The organization won this honour after three years of it not being awarded, as there were no candidates deemed worthy during the First World War.

In 1917, professor Louis Renault, a past Nobel Prize winner, laureate, and the government of Switzerland, nominated the ICRC for establishing the Prisoner-of-War Agency.

The Prisoner-of-War Agency supported soldiers who were captured by enemy forces. They also provided communication opportunities between the soldiers and their families. By 1917, the agency supported more than 800,000 soldiers.

The ICRC also won a Nobel Prize in 1944 and 1963.

Read more from Randi Mann The Weather Network