This year commemorates 150 years since the offi cial creation

of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). We mark this anniversary with a timeline that refl ects the disasters and key events that we have responded to during 150 years of humanitarian action.

17 February 1863 – Creation of the International Committee for the Relief

Otobina is grateful that her grandson, Terieta, is able to smile again thanks to people like you.

AUGUST 2013 | NEWSLETTER

150 YEARS OF HUMANITARIAN ACTION – DISASTER EDITIONof Wounded in the Event of War, precursor to the ICRC and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

1880s – National Societies begin to expand peacetime action in response to disasters: the Japanese Red Cross Society to the slops of Bandai after its eruption in 1888; the American Red Cross to forest fi res, cyclones and fl oods; the French Red Cross

to fl oods in Paris and a cholera outbreak in Marseilles.

1906 – The San Francisco earthquake proves the value of American Red Cross-trained personnel during peacetime. The Japanese Red Cross sends US$ 152,000 to help quake victims.

CHILD SAVED AFTER RED CROSS FIRST AID COURSE

Four-year-old Terieta Jonas lives a stone’s throw away from the

ocean, in the village of Bonriki on Kiribati’s main island of Tarawa.

He has no memory of the traumatic accident that nearly cost him his life when he was just a year old.

His village had gathered for a Mother’s Day celebration, and no one noticed the toddler had wandered off . He was found

face down in a nearby creek, not breathing.

Terieta’s neighbour Teinamam, noticed the boy and quickly responded. You can only imagine how terrifying this situation must have been for Teinamam. His heart would have been racing as his mind grasped for a lifesaving response; especially when he realised that the little boy lying lifeless was Terieta.

Fortunately, just days earlier, Teinamam

had learnt lifesaving skills during a Red Cross demonstration in his local village. It was one of the fi rst public sessions given by the Kiribati Red Cross, whose trainers were all trained by New Zealand Red Cross fi rst aid delegates.

Teinamam began CPR.

“He pumped his chest 30 times then did two breaths,” says Terieta’s grandmother Otobina.

“Then he picked him up and put him over his shoulder. Terieta was vomiting and crying but after a while he was OK.”

No grandparent should have to feel this kind of fear, but because of support from people like you, Terieta’s precious life was saved.

Otobina says Terieta was afraid of the water for a while after the incident, but he now happily swims in the sea next to his house. He attends the local pre-school and wants to be a pilot when he grows up.

KINDRED NEWSLETTER

EARTHQUAKESNew Zealand is a seismically active country. 14,000 earthquakes occur here every year, but only 150–200 are big enough to be felt. Earthquakes are unpredictable, so it pays to be prepared.

Here are some simple things to help you should an earthquake strike:

1. Pick safe places in each room of your house.

2. Secure heavy objects inside and outside the home.

3. If you are outside during an earthquake, fi nd a clear spot and drop to the ground.

4. If you are inside during an earthquake, DROP to the fl oor, COVER under a sturdy piece of furniture, and HOLD on to the leg of the furniture. DROP – COVER – HOLD

FLOODSFloods are New Zealand’s most frequent natural hazard. They are usually the result of continuous heavy rain, but may be

caused by tsunami and coastal storm inundation. How can you protect yourself?

1. Determine your fl ood risk: Contact your local council to fi nd

out if you live in an area prone to fl ooding.

Learn about your community’s risks from hazards created by fl ooding.

2. Get your household ready: Learn fl ood warning signs and

understand your community’s public alerting system.

Create and practise a household emergency plan.

3. If a fl ood occurs: Head for higher ground. Stay away from fl oodwater.

MAJOR STORMSMajor storms aff ect many parts of New Zealand. They bring heavy rain and/or snow and last for a few days. In most cases you will be able to remain in your home.

1. Develop an emergency communication plan for your household (for all natural disasters).

1965 – The movement’s seven Fundamental Principles are unanimously adopted by the 20th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

1970 – The 1970s was a decade of frequent disasters with the IFRC issuing over 200 appeals, more than in the entire period from 1945 to 1969. In 1970, There were 16 international appeals.

May 1985 – A major cyclone hits the Bay of Bengal and almost one million people lose their homes. Then Mexico City is rocked by a major earthquake, which kills more than 600 people. In November, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts, entombing 23,000 people in mud and debris and turning a once fertile valley into a lunar landscape.

December 2004 – An earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia causes a tsunami that kills more 230,000 people in 13 countries. The humanitarian response is immediate and massive.

August 2005 – Hurricane Katrina slams into the US Gulf Coast, killing 1,800 people and causing US$80 billion damage.

2. Discuss where and how to shelter in your home.

3. Have an emergency survival kit prepared.

4. Make a list of emergency services’ telephone numbers (local police station, medical centre, insurance company, vet, electricity supplier and council emergency hotline).

TSUNAMINew Zealand is considered a high tsunami risk. Some coasts (and lakes) are more at risk than others, but no part of the New Zealand coast is risk free from a potential tsunami. What can you do?

1. Determine your local area’s risk of a tsunami.

2. Learn and practise evacuation routes.

3. Prepare your household emergency kit.

4. If there is a tsunami warning and you are on the coast, move quickly to higher ground, or if the surrounding area is fl at, as far inland as possible.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Name: Ana Zarkovic

Specialty: Water and sanitation

Missions: Pakistan and Republic of the Marshall Islands

Disasters don’t discriminate; they can happen at any time, anywhere and can aff ect anyone. New Zealand is prone to earthquakes, fl oods, major storms and tsunamis; the best way to prepare is to have an emergency plan, basic fi rst

aid skills, and survival items such as food, water and medication to last a minimum of three days. To help you prepare we have put together a few steps you can take to get ready.

Last mission: Republic of the Marshall Islands

Why did you become a Red Cross delegate? A desire to make a diff erence after seeing the challenging conditions people lived in while I was travelling in Peru, Thailand and Brazil.

DELEGATE PROFILE

NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS

Rufi na Jack, mayor of Ailuk Atoll, recently expressed her gratitude

to New Zealand Red Cross for helping the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).

“We sincerely appreciate your outstanding service and genuine concern for our people. We thank you for your tremendous eff orts, unwavering sacrifi ces and professional service you displayed in support of the drought disaster operation.”

On April 19, RMI declared a state of emergency due to severe drought that has left everyone on the small islands struggling with water supplies and led to health

problems like diarrhoea and conjunctivitis.

“You have brought hope and support to the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands,” continued the Mayor. Because of your ongoing commitment we deployed four aid workers, team leader Dean Manderson, water engineer Ana Zarkovic, emergency response expert Greg Johns and relief worker Tom McNally.

The team left New Zealand with around 400kg of equipment, including two reverse osmosis desalination units which will produce around 4000 litres of clean water per day, bringing a vital supply to the community on Ailuk Atoll.

The team is also developing hygiene

and water usage plans with local communities to prepare for the coming months which will see more drought.

One of the returning New Zealand Red Cross aid workers, Ana Zarkovic, says when the team arrived the situation was reaching crisis point.

“Some people were using coconut water or the limited fresh water for drinking and the salty water for cooking. They were incredibly resourceful and resilient but were running out of resources.”

Your support has made the crucial diff erence to the lives of many who struggle from natural disasters. Thank you.

HELPING EASE CRISIS IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

Ana Zarkovic ensuring children have clean drinking water during the drought in RMI.

Movement grows – National Societies continue to expand disaster response activities during peacetime. By 1913, the British Red Cross had trained some 57,000 people in fi rst aid. The Empress of Japan, an early patron of the Japan Red Cross, creates the Empress Shôken Fund to support National Societies around the world.

August 1922 – China hit by a typhoon; 60,000 people die.

September 1923 – The Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama are devastated by the Great Kanto earthquake, which claims over 99,000 lives – 143,000.

1931 – The Huang He River (also known as the Huang Ho or Yellow River) in China fl oods 104,000 square km and more than a million people are killed.

New Zealand Red Cross is formed in the wake of the Napier earthquake and is offi cially recognised by the ICRC.

1963 –The movement celebrates its 100th anniversary. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and ICRC.

NATIONAL OFFICEPO Box 12140, Wellington69 Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington 6144Phone: 0800 697 277Email: projectpartners@redcross.org.nzWebsite: www.redcross.org.nz

@NZRedCross facebook.com/newzealandredcross

You can take pride in knowing that your continued support has allowed

us to supply lifesaving communication equipment to Fiji Red Cross. This investment was recently used to help coordinate the Fiji Red Cross’s emergency response during Cyclone Evan, which devastated parts of Samoa and Fiji in December last year.

Emergency Response Team volunteer and former Member of Parliament, Nanise Nagusuca, was one of the fi rst to participate in the radio training exercises and to try out this new piece of lifesaving equipment. Despite being one of the oldest trainees at 59, Nanise picked up the radio exercises faster than many of those half her age.

“I love to serve the community,” says Nanise. “I have always been like that. During Cyclone Evan my house was fl ooded and Red Cross was there fi rst. During any disaster Red Cross is always the fi rst to arrive.”

Nanise Nagusuca during radio training.

COMMUNICATING DURING DISASTERS

On 3 November 2013 we invite you join Team New Zealand

Red Cross in running, walking, or skipping our way across the fi nish line at the Auckland Marathon.

January 2010 – A major earthquake hits Haiti, destroying much of Port-au-Prince, killing more than 300,000 people and leaving more than one million people without homes. A major relief eff ort is launched and US$4 billion pledged for reconstruction. In what is dubbed the fi rst ‘digital disaster’, internet and mobile

phone technology are used to recover victims and help target food, water and shelter relief.

February 2011 – A magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes Canterbury, New Zealand, killing 185 people in one of the nation’s deadliest disasters.

March 2011 – An earthquake off the coast of Japan’s north east Tohoku region creates a tsunami that wipes out several coastal cities and claims more than 150,000 lives.

17 February 2013 – The movement celebrates the 150th anniversary of the creation of the ICRC and the offi cial birth of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

QUICK FACTS

AUCKLAND MARATHON Being part of Team New Zealand Red Cross means we will take you under our wing and provide you with support, training plans and nutritional advice to help you cross that fi nish line. We will even help you set

The specialised phones and radios will be used during disasters when other forms of communication are down. Because they operate outside normal telecommunications infrastructure, they continue to work when normal networks are damaged or overloaded, meaning vital decisions about disaster supplies and the deployment of volunteers can be made quickly.

31

Is the average number of small or medium-sized disaster or heath emergencies that Red Cross Red Crescent Societies around the world respond to each month.

209 millionApproximate number of people aff ected by natural disasters in 2011, of which 206 million were aff ected by climate-related disasters.

375 million Number of people who, by 2015, are expected to be aff ected annually by climate-related disasters.

*Source IFRC

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