AFP Red Cross workers in Turkey, after the earthquake in February.
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 13:06
The Red Cross speaks of a record number of disasters in 2023. More than a month before the end of the year, the organization counts seven major disasters, requiring at least 15 million euros for the victims. In previous years this was usually three, four or a maximum of five disasters.
The Red Cross also highlights a number of recent, exceptional disasters and conflicts in and around Europe: the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the forest fires in Greece, the floods in Slovenia, the earthquake in Morocco and the conflict in Israel, Gaza and the Western Jordan Bank. “We have not seen such a high number on this scale in recent years. The Red Cross has had to help much more than normal in these regions.”
The aid organization says it will have provided assistance for a total of 138 disasters in 2023. “That is approximately a disaster every 2.5 days,” says Head of International Aid at the Red Cross Derk Segaar in the NOS Radio 1 News.
According to Segaar, 96 percent of disasters are related to weather or climate. In addition, there were an above-average number of earthquakes: in addition to the quakes in Turkey, Syria and Morocco, Nepal and Afghanistan were also hit hard.
Record number of displaced people
Moreover, not so many people had been displaced since World War II, Segaar says. “110 million people have fled their homes. These are numbers that we have not seen for a very, very long time. Even for an organization that is used to providing emergency assistance to millions of people at the same time, this year was a lot.”
The aid organization has opened giro 881 to raise money for victims of last year’s disasters and for people who still need help next year.
Many disasters at the same time
This aid also goes to victims of major disasters that receive less attention, such as the conflict in Sudan, “where almost six million people have fled so far,” according to Segaar.
“What worries me a lot is that there are many disasters that have not received much attention, because there are so many disasters happening at the same time. You not only notice that money is running out, but also that employees are under stress.”
The Red Cross expects that there will be more disasters next year, mainly due to climate change. “Due to the combination of El Niño and global warming, 2024 is expected to be even warmer. There are already major floods in Kenya and Somalia and it is very dry in southern Africa.”
2023-11-27 12:06:16
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