Emergency Overview On January 7, a series of wildfires broke out across Los Angeles County, causing 29 deaths, displacing some 200,000 people and burning more than 16,000 homes and businesses. Fueled by dry conditions and high winds, these fires were not fully contained until January 31. Considered the most destructive in California history, the fires …
When disaster strikes, International Medical Corps often relies on a roster of skilled volunteers to get on the ground quickly and help us to begin meeting the medical needs of those affected. Our emergency roster has about 120 people who are skilled in a variety of areas and come to us from a variety of …
When multiple wildfires broke out in Los Angeles in early January, International Medical Corps was very much there—staff members could clearly see the first fire, in the Pacific Palisades, from our office windows. These collective fires eventually burned a total of more than 16,000 homes, businesses and schools across 40,000 acres, displacing at least 200,000 …
In South Sudan, where floods swallow the land and infrastructure is almost non-existent, accessing urgent medical care can be a life-or-death challenge. This became painfully clear when International Medical Corps Program Manager Bithou Gatkuoth faced a medical emergency while working in Nyal, a city in the central part of the country. On Saturday, February 1, …
“The rains were relentless. Severe flooding turned the roads into barriers, making it nearly impossible to reach those in need,” says Dr. Mahmoud Hussien Mohammed Abdullah. The local doctor is describing the vicious floods that swept through Yemen in September 2024. A result of an unusually heavy rainy season that lasted from July until the …
In February 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked Europe’s biggest refugee movement since the Second World War. Millions of Ukrainians—mostly women and children—escaped the conflict by fleeing to Poland and other European countries. “In those first few days of the war, nobody had much information about what was happening at the Polish–Ukrainian border, so I …
Until our intervention earlier this year, the 100 residents of Village 1 in Ward 24 of Bikita District had struggled with water scarcity since 1982. Every day, women, children and elderly community members in the Zimbabwean village’s 23 households labored to obtain clean water, but their only option was to endure the daily grind of …
International Medical Corps is training the next generation of midwifery assistants in Bria, Central African Republic (CAR). In partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education, we opened the Bria Annex Institute in 2024 to train qualified health professionals in this vital role. The school will increase the number of skilled …
Life has been incredibly difficult for Ukrainians since the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. Millions have been forced to flee the fighting—losing loved ones, their homes, their schools and jobs. Many of them are now suffering from long-term stress caused by traumatic events, which can have negative impacts on their mental health. This …
The Russian invasion of February 2022 has reshaped every aspect of life in Ukraine. For the country’s Roma community—a distinct ethnic group with an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 members in Ukraine—the impacts have been uniquely devastating. Already facing uphill struggles due to widespread racism, poverty, overcrowded housing and limited access to education and healthcare, the …