International Emergency Disaster Response and Preparedness

On average, 62,000 people a year are killed by natural disasters. Of those killed, a disproportionate number were from already vulnerable communities in developing nations. Over the past decade, more than 2 billion people have been affected by natural disasters and this number is expected to increase as populations densities rise and more people are forced to live in disaster prone areas.

The American Red Cross is committed to helping vulnerable people around the world to prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters, complex humanitarian emergencies, and life-threatening health conditions. Our emergency response and disaster preparedness programs provide relief and development assistance to millions of people annually who suffer as a result of natural and manmade disasters around the globe.

The American Red Cross works with a worldwide network of partners that includes the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 181 Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies to ensure consistency in international disaster response operations that are undertaken.

Our emergency response activities are cost-effective, community-based, and large-scale. They focus on relief supply distribution (including food, shelter materials, and hygiene essentials), water and sanitation services, and re-establishment of family links. We also implement disaster preparedness programs to create more resilient communities with decreased dependence on external assistance.

The examples of our emergency response and preparedness methods include:

International Response Team – To respond quickly and effectively to disasters, the American Red Cross has developed a network of highly trained disaster response volunteers, known collectively as the International Response Team (IRT). IRT members must be ready for deployment worldwide at a moment’s notice and, once they arrive at a relief operation, they immediately begin working with local Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to assess the needs and implement vital relief services. IRT members are specialists, and each one deployed is trained to help thousands of disaster survivors by working through networks of local volunteers from the country affected.

Emergency Response Unit – An Emergency Response Unit is a disaster management tool made up of trained personnel and pre-packaged technical equipment that is crucial in responding to sudden, large-scale disasters and emergencies in remote locations. Currently there are six specialized types of ERUs: relief, logistics, basic health care, water and sanitation, referral hospital, and telecommunications. All ERUs share the ability to respond quickly and to sustain operations for up to one month without drawing on the local resources of a disaster-affected area.

Community-based disaster preparedness – Disaster preparedness interventions are based on an evaluation of a country’s vulnerabilities and the national Red Cross or Red Crescent Society’s capacities and interests. Support may include emergency management training, public awareness campaigns, or mitigation measures such as mapping evacuation routes or installing hurricane shutters on a community shelter.