Our Response to Recent Emergencies
When an emergency strikes — whether due to a natural disaster, conflict, drought or disease — children are the ones who suffer most. From our very beginnings, Save the Children has made it our mission to save the lives of boys and girls in danger around the world. In times of crisis, we’re always among the first to respond, working to keep children safe and staying to help families rebuild their lives.
Hurricane Ida
On Aug. 29, 2021 – the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina – Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms in the state's history. Winds up to 150 mph left nearly one million people without power. Save the Children supported the recovery and coordinated with partners to assess children's needs and collaborated with local partners to restore impacted child care and early learning centers. LEARN MORE
2020 U.S. Wildfires
The 2020 wildfires burned millions of acres, caused multiple casualties, destroyed thousands of homes and other structures, and displaced thousands who are under mandatory evacuation orders. In the midst of a global pandemic, our teams quickly mobilized to deliver displaced families the essential items they need to continue to care for their children. LEARN MORE
2018 Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami
A catastrophic magnitude 7.5 earthquake and 20-foot-high tsunami caused massive damage and loss of life in Indonesia. More than half a million children were affected. Our over 40-year commitment to Indonesia’s children remains strong, and – with your generous support – we were there for them. FIND OUT MORE
2018 Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael is the strongest storm on record to hit the Florida Panhandle, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake in October 2018. With the support of people like you, Save the Children has provided immediate and long-term relief for children and families impacted by the catastrophic storm. In the days and weeks after the disaster, we delivered critical supplies – like diapers, cribs and hygiene kits – to parents who needed them most. Our teams set up safe play areas in shelters so kids could be kids again and begin to recover. We continue to partner with the most affected communities to help child care and early learning centers recover and children and families cope and build resilience. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR RESPONSE.
2018 Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence battered the coast of the Carolinas, generating life-threatening floodwaters and damaging winds. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, Save the Children has been working to meet the immediate and long-term needs of impacted children in southeastern and coastal North Carolina. In the early days of the storm, Save the Children set up safe spaces in shelters where kids could play, learn and begin to recover, and delivered essential supplies to children and families affected by the storm. And we continue to restore child care and early learning centers, as well as afterschool programs, and teach children preparedness and resilience skills. LEARN MORE
2017 Hurricane Maria
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico with catastrophic levels of rain and winds up to 155 miles per hour. Save the Children is supporting recovery in Puerto Rico through August 2019 at a minimum. We are providing children and their caregivers with social and emotional support and are committed to help children return to learning and enhance education and community programs. READ ON FOR MORE INFORMATION
2017 Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in over 50 years. More than 3 million children were affected by the catastrophic storm, which displaced more than 1 million people. Although the floodwaters have receded, children are still recovering from the emotional distress. Save the Children has committed a team of more than 30 staff to Texas to serve children and families most affected by the storm through 2019. SEE MORE ABOUT OUR RESPONSE
2017 Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma struck Florida on September 10, 2017, leaving thousands of families without homes, power, clean water, schools, child care and early education programs and places of work. Communities in South and Southwest Florida, home to low-income and migrant families, and the Florida Keys were hard especially hit. Save the Children continues to collaborate with early education networks to help restore child care in South Florida, where Hurricane Irma destroyed the most programs. We’ll continue to support recovery through 2019. GET MORE ABOUT HURRICANE IRMA
2015 Nepal Earthquake
On April 25, 2015 a magnitude-7.9 earthquake hit Nepal affecting millions of families and injuring more than 22,000 people, including children. Whenever a disaster strikes, children are the most vulnerable – and this disaster was no different. Thousands of schools and health facilities had to be rebuilt. Following the earthquake, children were left scared and without the proper healthcare and resources to help them.
Thanks to the support of our partners and donors, Save the Children was well prepared to respond. Our teams were able to reach more than 580,000 people, including 352,000 children, with vital aid. But the work is not yet over: Thousands of families still remain without a proper home. Many children still haven’t returned to school. And young mothers are still seeking proper healthcare. LEARN MORE
2014 Ebola Crisis
The world's largest Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014. Across the three worst-affected countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – almost 25,000 people were infected, including more than 3,600 children. During the outbreak, at least 16,000 children lost one or more of their parents, and many of those children were stigmatized by communities fearful of being infected.
With a long-term presence in West Africa, Save the Children was at the heart of the crisis from the start. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR RESPONSE
2013 Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded. It made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013, devastating the lives of more than 14 million children and adults. More than 6,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless. Buildings and roads crumbled, fishing boats were wrecked, and groves of coconut trees were flattened, leaving many families unable to earn the incomes they depended on for survival. READ MORE
2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
When the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, the country was devastated, and children were the hardest hit. Save the Children has seen first-hand how children truly are the most vulnerable when a disaster strikes – we’ve seen this as their homes have been washed away, their parents, teachers and siblings lost, and their schools have been destroyed.
In addition to providing emergency supplies, healthcare and food and water, Save the Children opened child-friendly spaces to give children a sense of stability as well as an opportunity to play with other children. The spaces also provide respite for families under stress, so parents can focus on re-establishing their livelihoods knowing their children are in safe hands.
2010 Haiti Earthquake
In Haiti, an estimated 25 percent of the country was affected by Hurricane Matthew. Some 300 to 800 people were killed, and 29,000 homes, schools and other structures were damaged or destroyed. The health, education and protection needs were massive, with an estimated 750,000 people requiring urgent assistance. We were especially concerned for vulnerable children, including some 2,000 little ones separated from their families, children at risk of deadly cholera, and up to 130,000 children out of school.
We deployed emergency responders, as well as our Emergency Health Unit, staffed by doctors and health experts from around the world. We are focused on delivering food, hygiene kits and other urgently needed supplies, suppressing any cholera outbreak and protecting vulnerable children.
2010 Pakistan Flood
Save the Children‘s relief workers began their efforts to help children and families on the first day of the devastating floods in Pakistan. We reached over 4 million people, including nearly 2 million children, with over $90 million worth of humanitarian aid – more than double the initial target of reaching 2 million people. We were on the ground conducting programs to provide shelter, medical aid, education, nutrition and other humanitarian relief.
Children and families have received emergency medical care, water purification supplies, household items, shelter and much more. Girls and boys were kept safe and received the support they need to help them recover from the trauma of the flood. Parents and families living in the flood zone are helping to revive their own communities with support from Save the Children's livelihood programs.
2005 Hurricane Katrina
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, and what followed was the worst emergency response effort in U.S. history. Katrina revealed profound gaps in the disaster preparedness plans in the Gulf Coast region and nationwide, particularly with regards to children. In fact, Hurricane Katrina led to 5,000 reports of missing children. Hurricane Katrina showed the harm children and families face when kids are not accounted for in disaster planning. The sad fact remains: America is still unprepared to protect children should a disaster strike.
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Our staff members were on the ground in many coastal areas when the disaster struck, and their work has benefited an estimated 1 million people in over 1,000 towns and villages. Save the Children responded immediately in the countries hardest hit, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as well as in Somalia. The agency provided emergency food, water and medical supplies; set up community kitchens in temporary shelters; created safe play areas and temporary classrooms for children; distributed educational materials; provided cash-for-work opportunities and offered other immediate relief activities. It also reunited more than 1,300 children with their families.