Last month, we heard about food shortages in India that resulted from a combination of droughts and intense flooding which ruined crops. Last week, El Salvador President Mauricio Funes declared a national emergency due to torrential rains that, among other things, devastated crops in regions across the country. These food-related crises on such a massive scale may be difficult to comprehend when they happen in other corners of the world, but recently the United States also had a taste (no pun intended) of flood-related food shortages.
Yesterday, Kellogg Co. announced a nationwide shortage of Eggo waffles, the longtime breakfast favorite. Their facility in Atlanta was set to open recently, but the Southeastern floods delayed that opening. The company now has to clean the facility all over again, as well as repair damaged equipment. Given the relative mildness of this food crisis compared to the loss of crops in India and El Salvador it can still be hard to compare these examples, but one thing is for certain: floods wreak havoc on our livelihoods and can end up affecting a whole nation.
You can’t prevent them from happening, but you can be prepared for a flood by taking steps in our Flood Safety Checklist.
Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…
[The place names link to maps so that you can get a quick idea of the region.]
Gift Tip: Our fearless leader (President and CEO Gail McGovern) was overheard telling someone she hopes to get lots of blankets in her name for the holidays.
You can join in the fun - find out how to send in a holiday card for a hero. You can also do more than send a card this season by picking out an inspired gift from our Holiday Catalog.
Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…
[The place names link to maps so that you can get a quick idea of the region.]
SOMALIA: Heavy rains are severely affecting thousands of families displaced by the hostilities in Mogadishu. The ICRC has distributed 7,000 tarpaulinsas emergency shelter.
PAKISTAN: The ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society have launched the first stage of an extensive economic assistance program for families affected by violence in Malakand Division.
KENYA: The IFRC is distributing food, water, and seeds for thousands of people in the midst of a crippling drought and food crisis. The American Red Cross has also contributed $100,000 to these efforts.
AFGHANISTAN: Landmine and accident victimstake their message of hope to the skywith a kite-flying competition for wheelchair-bound patients at its rehabilitation centre in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
UNITED STATES: Veterans Day kicked off the Holiday Mail for Heroescampaign. Make holiday cards for service members and the American Red Cross will deliver them overseas.
GLOSSARY: ICRC= International Committee of the Red Cross IFRC= International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Tomorrow we are holding our kick-off event for our Holiday Mail for Heroes program in Washington, DC! Special guest Amy Grant will be there to show her support and we’ll be inviting people to sign cards. If you’re in the area and would like to stop by, please do! You can find more detail and the schedule of events in the Pitney Bowes newsroom.
We also wanted to share a video that gives you a peek behind the scenes of our Holiday Mail program. Red Cross volunteers and Pitney Bowes workers will be working hard to sort and deliver the cards that you send in. Every card will be touched by many hands before finally reaching someone on the other end.
It may be difficult to feel the impact of your contribution when you are simply sending cards to a central mailbox, but every card that is received can mean a great deal to its recipient. Taking the time to give thanks to a stranger is one way to start getting into the holiday spirit!
If you also want to contribute more to help out members of our armed forces, please consider giving through our holiday catalog. You can help provide phone cards, deliver important family messages, and even training to cope with stress to a military family.
Let us know if you or someone you know have been personally affected by the Holiday Mail program or any other service to the armed forces that the Red Cross provides. We would love to hear your stories.
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