Search results

Press release | London, 21st October 2016 13:00 GMT

Typhoon Haima, the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines in three years, made landfall in the north of the country on Wednesday 19 October, displacing more than 90,000 people from their homes. Handicap International is travelling to the affected areas to assess the needs of local communities.

When Typhoon Haima makes landfall on the island of Luzon in the northern Philippines on Wednesday 19th October, thousands of people could be affected. Handicap International staff, already in the country, are on alert and preparing to assess the impact of the damage caused by the disaster.

There are fears that the military offensive on the Iraqi city of Mosul could result in a humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale. More than one million people may be forced to flee to escape the fighting, in a country where at least 3.3 million people have already been uprooted. Handicap International is concerned that the people fleeing Mosul will not all be able to access humanitarian aid. Thomas Hugonnier, head of emergency response operations in Iraq, explains the situation.

Typhoon Haima is forecast to hit the Philippines on  Wednesday 19th to Thursday 20th October, affecting thousands of people. Handicap International's teams are preparing to cope with the potential disaster.

Hurricane Matthew, which struck Haiti on 4th October, has caused the biggest humanitarian crisis since the 2010 earthquake. In the Les Cayes region alone, more than 3,000 casualties have been recorded, while the hospitals are struggling with extremely limited resources. Handicap International is starting its operation to provide rehabilitation care to the injured. In addition, the distribution of more than 1,000 kits enabling emergency repairs to be made to people’s homes is about to get underway.
 

Handicap International has been running operations in Libya since 2011. The organisation is now focused on helping children in Tripoli. Every day our mobile team reaches out to children with rehabilitation needs. And an awareness-raising campaign about psychosocial risks and the inclusion of children with disabilities will benefit more than 3,000 people.

Following the passage of Hurricane Matthew, 180,000 people in Haiti have been forced to seek refuge in temporary shelters. They are now starting the long wait to be rehoused. In the biggest city in southwest Haiti, Les Cayes, dozens of displaced families have transformed the classrooms of Philippe Guerrier secondary school into makeshift dormitories. We spoke to them about their experiences.

More than a week after Haiti was hit by Hurricane Matthew, the misery of its victims continues to deepen. The worst hit areas remain difficult to access and food insecurity is growing by the day. Handicap International has expanded its emergency teams to aid the most isolated vulnerable people.

Press release | 13th October 2016, 17:00 GMT.

As Handicap International’s emergency teams travel to the areas worst affected by Hurricane Matthew to supply aid to victims, an air cargo of humanitarian equipment is scheduled to land in Port-au-Prince on the evening of Wednesday 13th October. With access to the southwest of the country still unreliable a week after the disaster, Handicap International is organising the transport of aid by sea.

Les Cayes, the capital of the Sud department, was one of the main urban areas affected by the passage of Hurricane Matthew on 4th October 2016. A week after the disaster, resilient but resigned, the inhabitants of the city’s rural neighbourhoods are slowly getting back on their feet.

There has been a worldwide surge in natural disasters, as seen when Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti and Cuba on 4th October 2016. Being more prepared for such events would save lives. For Handicap International, which is implementing 15 natural disaster risk reduction projects across the world, it is crucial that local people are trained directly. 

Handicap International strongly condemns the air strike on a funeral hall which killed 140 people and injured 500 in Sanaa, on Saturday 8th October 2016. The ongoing bombing of civilians and civil infrastructure must be stopped immediately.

Present in Haiti before Hurricane Matthew hit, Handicap International’s local teams supported by emergency specialists, are preparing to supply aid to the most vulnerable people. More than 1.4 million people now need immediate assistance. As the death toll continues to rise, hundreds of thousands of people are still unable to access humanitarian aid in some areas of the country.