Disaster
In a few minutes, your life can be torn apart. Winds, rain, waves or shaking can take away everything you love. Or over a few months or years, your home can become unsafe.
We walk with our neighbors through every stage of the disaster cycle. CWS programs help people prepare for the worst, making plans and gathering supplies. When an emergency happens, we team up with other responders to meet immediate needs. And when the time is right, we shift our focus to long-term recovery. When people are forced from their homes, we work hard to make sure they have safe and dignified lives.
The road to recovery and safety may be a long one, but no one should walk it alone.
When the Land turns to Liquid
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in September 2018. It triggered tsunamis and a phenomenon called liquefaction, when the ground literally turns to liquid. It moved entire villages, swallowed houses and destroyed infrastructure.
We immediately began to mobilize a response. Soon we were delivering water to thousands of families each day, distributing critical supplies and promoting hygiene among displaced families. As weeks turned to months, we focused on helping families build transitional shelters, build or repair water systems, and build sanitary bathrooms.
Latest Updates
Situation Report: Hurricane Ida
Appeal Code: 628N Situation Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana on Sunday as a dangerous Category 4 storm with 150 mile per hour winds. The full extent of the storm’s damage is still unknown; rescue efforts are underway. Ida has been blamed for at least two deaths. It left more than a million people in Louisiana and Mississippi, including the entire …
EMERGENCY: SUPPORT NEWLY-ARRIVING AFGHANS
In the coming weeks, tens of thousands of Afghans will arrive in the United States. They are fleeing retribution or persecution from the Taliban and have one goal: to live in safety. It is in our power to help them obtain it. We have worked with newly-arriving Afghans for decades. As emergency evacuations from Kabul continue, an unprecedented number of …
Preliminary Emergency Appeal: Major Earthquake in Haiti
Appeal code: 6773 Situation On Saturday, August 14, a major 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the southwest of Haiti. Then, on Monday and Tuesday, August 16 and 17, Tropical Storm Grace brought heavy rains to many of the same communities. The storm triggered mudslides and compounded the earthquake’s damage, further hampering relief efforts. Some of the earthquake’s damage is in areas where …