Asia Pacific

On 30 October 2018, Typhoon Yutu (locally known as Rosita), descended in the Philippines, bringing damaging winds and heavy rain in areas already affected by Typhoon Mangkhut, which struck Northern Luzon and destroyed thousands of homes, crops and infrastructure just over a month ago. 

Their motto is ‘Always ready. Always there. Always first.’ And that is what the Philippine Red Cross staff and volunteers were when typhoon Rosita – internationally known as Yutu – threatened their islands at the end of October.

On 5 November it will be 3 months since a destructive and shallow earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude and multiple aftershocks struck the island of Lombok, Indonesia. The epicentre was located inland, near Loloan Village in North Lombok Regency.

Meat is a luxury for people who have fled violence in Rakhine state and who are now living in camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Many of them live on a diet of rice, lentils, seasonal vegetables, spices, wheat and dry fish, most of which are food they are not used to eating.

Three months since the collapse of Laos’ Xe-Pian XeNamnoy hydropower dam cut a path of destruction through 13 villages in the province of Attapeu, many communities, including that of Mai Village, are finally able to move into government-built temporary housing after spending weeks in emergency shelters.