Earthquakes

“A strange and unfamiliar sound envelopes my ears.  Then I hear something being broken......  All of a sudden, I wake up, only to see everything vibrating.  No! Not vibrating, but shaking, and I can't help shaking as well.  What is happening? 

My children came to me crying.  With no time to explain, I cover them with blankets and wrap them in all the cushions and quilts I can find.  

Suddenly, I hear the wall crumble, and the sound makes my scalp tingle, and everything collapses in the blink of an eye.  From this moment on, I can't see anything in front of my eyes, I can only hear the sound of everything collapsing, as well as faint wailing in the distance and the sound of my own breathing."

An earthquake, though brief, can cause profound and far-reaching devastation.  Emergency response teams must seize the "golden 72-hour window" to save lives while facing the danger of aftershocks and provide emergency relief supplies to those affected by the disaster. 

In addition to addressing numerous immediate injuries, it's crucial to provide ongoing medical attention, including support for mental health, post-operative care, and rehabilitation.

Regular medical services also need to be provided to ensure that the most vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases, have access to uninterrupted healthcare.

Some recent examples of severe earthquakes include the Türkiye -Syria Earthquake in February 2023, Haiti Earthquake in August 2021 and Nepal Earthquake in April 2015.  
 

Click here to learn more about the impacts that earthquakes bring and how MSF responds to them

The story is based on the experience of the victims or relayed by MSF workers.
Narrated by Martyn Broughton

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The story is based on the experience of the victims or relayed by MSF workers. 
Narrated by Kay Tse

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Typhoons

"Although it's hard to see through the rain, you can tell the gale is bending the electricity poles and trees and everything down in the same direction.  The roads have disappeared, you only see water.  Suddenly, it rains even more heavily and it's hard to see what's happening outside.  I see someone crawling on a roof and a second later they disappear into the raging storm.  My heart is beating out of my chest.  Is that my house? Was it my daughter gripping the roof?  In an instant, my world collapses.  "I need to leave here!  I have to go out!", all I can do is yell into the air.  Suddenly, the strong wind breaks the glass of the windows and I'm pushed back by the force.  I try hard to open my eyes but I can't.  Then I feel someone pull me back......"

Typhoons can bring entire cities or even countries to a standstill.  With climate change extending the typhoon season, it's left devastation in a more unpredictable path, hitting areas that were previously spared, thus causing immense destruction where preparedness is limited and damage is more severe.  Several recent instances are cyclone Freddy which hit Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi consecutively in February to March 2023, typhoon Rai wich struck the Philippines in December 2021, and the Hurricanes Eta and Lota which hit Central America back-to-back in late 2020 and rendered almost half of the health centres in Honduras unable to function.

To learn more about the devastating impact of typhoons and how MSF responds, visit us here.

The story is based on the experience of the victims or relayed by MSF workers. 
Narrated by Beatrice Lau, MSF Intersection Legal Advisor, Former MSF Head of Mission, Former Director of Fundraising of MSF Hong Kong 

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Flooding

“Ever since the flood, it seems that the old paths have become different every day. The flood is silently encroaching on the land. Everything is submerged in water, and I don't know where my home is anymore...... Back on high ground, people are washing clothes and cleaning food on the bank, others carrying buckets of water back for cooking. There was something brown and black with hair floating on the water. I can only close my eyes to fill the plastic bucket with such water which has such a bad smell that is so hard to describe. But my children and I have been drinking it for several weeks......”

Though floods may not occur suddenly, the consequences often extend far into the future.  For instance, in South Sudan, the aftermath of the most recent flood lasted for over eight months, leading to poor living conditions, malnutrition, and fatal waterborne diseases such as Cholera and Hepatitis A.  In addition to South Sudan, there have been other flooding incidents in the past year in Central and Southern Chad, as well as in Pakistan in August 2022.  The floods in Pakistan were of such magnitude that one third of the country's land was entirely submerged, inflicting severe damage and loss.

Please follow the link to learn about the impact of flooding and how MSF responds

The story is based on the experience of the victims or relayed by MSF workers.
Narrated by Lung Siu Kwan

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