Early January 7th, the Santa Ana winds sparked wildfires throughout many areas of LA County. Most devastating have been the Palisades and Eaton Fires, destroying thousands of acres of land and thousands of homes & structures.

GEM Europe, in partnership with Goya Spain, is responding to the deadly flooding in Valencia, Spain. The floods have claimed the lives of dozens and caused severe destruction around the region. Already recorded as Spain’s worst disaster in the last 3 decades.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, causing significant damage over many states on it’s path. North Carolina & Florida faced the most severe destruction, with billions of dollars of damage having been recorded.

Storm Boris has caused significant flooding across Europe in the past few days. In regions such as Czechia & Poland, this has been the worst disaster in decades. The storm has already taken many lives and has forced thousands of people from their houses.

On September 11th, Hurricane Francine made landfall in southern Louisiana as a category 2 hurricane. New Orleans was hit with a month’s worth of rain in just one day, causing significant flooding. The hurricane intensified rapidly before making landfall.

Hurricane Debby made landfall August 5th in Florida, USA. Hundreds of thousands of residents went without power and were directly at risk for major storm surges and flooding.

In July 2024, Bulgaria faced the threat of about 40 wildfires around the country, with more areas being affected and evacuated every day. The GEM Europe team deployed from their Polish warehouse, bringing supplies for first responders & evacuated residents.

California’s biggest fire of the year is had caused extreme devastation throughout Butte, Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama County. The fire had burned more than the entire size of Los Angeles, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses.

The Canadian province of Alberta has experienced 122 wildfires in 2024 already. As of late, the historic town of Jasper suffered tremendous damage from an out of control wildfire, burning over 79,000 acres. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate.

GEM and its partners are on the ground distributing supplies for the aftermath of this major hurricane. Hurricane Beryl has affected the Caribbean significantly, with heavy destruction and damage across St. Vincent, Grenada, Jamaica, and other surrounding islands.

The GEM LATAM team responded in Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil to the recent extreme flooding in April & May 2024 . Over 1 million homes were without access to water, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and placed in shelters, and countless more have been affected.

The Smokehouse Creek Wildfire was Texas’ 2nd largest fire it’s history. Multiple major fires that have burned hundreds of thousands of acres, prompting evacuation orders in several counties. GEM is providing pallets of disaster relief throughout the affected regions to assist all those affected.

In February 2024, Chile experienced their worst disaster in over a decade. Severe forest fires devastated the Valparaiso region, having burnt nearly 64,000 acres and forcing thousands to evacuate.

GEM is committed to an immediate and effective response to unexpected flooding across the USA in 2024. We stand ready to mobilize resources from our multiple branches, with an average response time of 24 hours.

On January 1st, a major 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Japan. This earthquake was the deadliest in Japan since 2016, taking the lives of hundreds and injuring many more

Colombia declared a disaster situation in January 2024 due to many wildfires raging across several parts of the country, as the president warned the conditions could get worse. One hundred and seventy four municipalities in the country were affected.

Early January 2024 tornadoes tore through the Florida Panhandle, causing extensive damages to homes, boats, and businesses in many communities. The GEM team deployed from their Miami HQ with a truck of aid to assist those who were affected.

On November 16th, the GEM Europe team arrived in Iceland to support evacuees, and in anticipation for future volcanic activity. Since late October, Iceland has recorded over 20,000 earthquakes, with as many as 800 in a single day.

A large 6.4 earthquake devastated Nepal on November 3rd, collapsing homes and destroying the remote region that it most affected. Over 150 people have lost their lives, and hospitals are at capacity with those injured.

Acapulco, Mexico was devastated by a Category 5 hurricane on October 25th. The storms caused flooding, extreme structural damage, road destruction, affecting over 2 million people.

In response to the Herat earthquake, and the string of smaller quakes since, the GEM MENA team deployed to Afghanistan to provide humanitarian aid to those affected.

GEM Bstrong has embarked on a mission to provide immediate relief to families affected by the recent events in Israel and Gaza.

Over 100,000 refugees fled from the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, travelling for days in cold temperatures with just the bare minimum they were able to take with them. GEM deployed to Armenia to distribute humanitarian aid to these individuals, during this crisis.

GEM MENA loaded a military ship in Izmir, Turkey with vital supplies for those affected by the recent flooding

In response to Morocco’s devastating 6.8 earthquake on September 8th, the GEM MENA and GEM Europe teams deployed to Marrakesh, the Atlas mountainous regions, and the surrounding communities offering immediate assistance.

The GEM team was immediately on the ground after Idalia’s impact in August 2023. Trucks of aid were deployed, and the team distributed critical, large-scale supplies to Hurricane Idalia’s most affected zones in the Florida area.

The GEM team worked alongside the HARP team, offering resources & critical support to all those affected by the recent Oregon Road Fire, in Elk, Washington. BStrong cash cards were also given out to affected community members.

Hurricane Hilary made landfall in Baja California, Mexico on August 20th, bringing in extremely heavy rains. The flooding resulting from this rain destroyed roads and damaged infrastructure

The Lahaina fires in August 2023 completely devastated the Lahaina community on Maui, displacing thousands and taking the lives of over 100 people. The strong winds and dry conditions spread the fire rapidly through the historic neighborhood.

In July 2023, our GEM Europe team deployed to Greece, responding to the 90 active fires within the country. In coordination with local and foreign first responders, we worked to reach the most affected communities and distribute supplies.

GEM is prepositioned to immediately deploy to flooding disasters in the United States throughout the year. We will be distributing trucks of Family Necessity Kits, water, hygiene, mattresses, and more to the regions affected.

Am 6. Juni wurde in der Region Kherson der Nova-Kakhovka-Damm durch feindliche Angriffe angegriffen und durchbrochen. Dieser Damm hat ein Wasservolumen von 18.000.000 m³, und die Zerstörung hat dazu geführt, dass dieses Wasser die benachbarten 80 Siedlungen schwer getroffen hat.

GEM dispatched to respond to the ongoing and critical crisis in Sudan. This specialized team, led by a former Green Beret, distributed aid at refugee camps in 3 different regions within Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of people reside.

In der norditalienischen Region Emilia-Romagna fiel innerhalb von 36 Stunden die Hälfte der jährlichen Niederschlagsmenge und verwüstete zahlreiche Städte. Zehntausende wurden evakuiert.

Zyklon Freddy dauerte fünf Wochen und war damit der am längsten andauernde tropische Wirbelsturm, der jemals aufgezeichnet wurde. Als er schließlich in Malawi, Afrika, an Land ging, kam es zu katastrophalen Überschwemmungen, die die Bevölkerung schwer in Mitleidenschaft zogen.

Seit dem 25. März wurden die Vereinigten Staaten von Dutzenden von Tornados heimgesucht, die in mehreren Bundesstaaten niedergingen, darunter in Mississippi und Alabama. Viele Menschen haben ihr Leben verloren, und Hunderte von anderen wurden durch die erheblichen Schäden schwer in Mitleidenschaft gezogen.

A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Southern Turkey and Syria early February 6th, with more following. Over 56,000 people lost their lives, and displaced 3 million people.

Am 28. Januar wurde ein Wohnkomplex mit 75 Wohneinheiten in Miami Gardens durch einen Brand schwer verwüstet. Mehr als die Hälfte der Wohnungen wurde vollständig zerstört, der Rest ist aufgrund der extremen Brand-, Rauch- und Wasserschäden unbewohnbar.

Aufgrund der extremen Regenfälle in Kalifornien wurden über 8 Millionen Einwohner vor Überschwemmungen gewarnt. Nachdem in vielen Gebieten des Staates seit dem 26. Dezember mehr als die Hälfte der jährlichen Niederschlagsmenge gefallen war, drohten Überschwemmungen, Schlammlawinen und extreme Winde.

Am 21. November ereignete sich auf der Insel Java ein starkes Erdbeben. Die Katastrophe der Stärke 6,9 ereignete sich in der Nähe der Großstadt Cianjur, zerstörte Tausende von Gebäuden und verursachte schwere Erdrutsche.

Am 10. November 2022 traf der Tropensturm Nicole als Hurrikan der Kategorie 1 an der Ostküste Floridas südlich von Vero Beach auf Land. Unser Team reagierte unmittelbar nach dem Sturm und war bereit, jede erforderliche Hilfe zu leisten.

Der Hurrikan Lisa verstärkte sich in den karibischen Gewässern und traf in Belize im Norden Guatemalas auf Land. GEM reagierte sofort mit der Entsendung eines Teams und von Containern.

Am 24. September 2022 verursachte der Hurrikan Ian der Kategorie 4 katastrophale Schäden an der Südwestküste Floridas und hinterließ Tausende von Überlebenden. GEM Bstrong setzte in Zusammenarbeit mit Dade County Teams ein, belud Lastwagen und baute Partnerschaften in den betroffenen Gebieten auf.

Am 18. September 2022 verursachte der Hurrikan Fiona katastrophale Überschwemmungen und Stromausfälle in verschiedenen Gemeinden in Puerto Rico. GEM BStrong war zusammen mit unserem langjährigen Partner #Yonomequito vor Ort und versorgte Familien mit lebensnotwendigen Kits und Wasser.

Am 14. Juni 2022 lösten die Monsunregen die schwersten Überschwemmungen in der jüngeren Geschichte Pakistans aus. Mehr als ein Drittel Pakistans stand unter Wasser; zehn Millionen Einwohner waren betroffen, und Hunderttausende wurden aus ihren Häusern vertrieben.

Ende Juli brannten in ganz Kalifornien das Oak Fire und das McKinney Fire, wobei Hunderte von Gebäuden zerstört wurden und mindestens vier Menschen ums Leben kamen.

Severe flooding across eastern Kentucky and Missouri caused dozens of deaths. Homes destroyed and roads washed out, leaving communities isolated. GEM deployed to support these communities.

Die Gesamtzahl der Waldbrände in der Europäischen Union seit Anfang 2022 ist fast viermal so hoch wie der 15-Jahres-Durchschnitt für denselben Zeitraum.