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.

On June 6th, in the Kherson region, the Nova Kakhovka dam was targeted and breached by enemy attacks. This dam has a water volume of 18,000,000 m³, and the destruction has ultimately caused this water to severely impact the neighboring 80 settlements.

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.

The Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy saw half of its annual rainfall in the span on 36 hours, devastating many towns. Tens of thousands have been evacuated.

Cyclone Freddy lasted 5 weeks, making it the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded. When it finally made landfall, Malawi, Africa was hit with catastrophic flooding that severely impacted the locals.

Beginning March 25th in Mississippi and Alabama, the United States saw dozens of tornadoes touch down in multiple states. Many have lost their lives, and hundreds of others have been severely impacted by the substantial damage.

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.

On January 28, a 75 unit apartment complex in Miami Gardens suffered major devastation due to a fire. More than half the units are completely destroyed, with the remainder being inhabitable due to extreme fire, smoke, and water damage.

Extreme rain throughout California left over 8 million residents under flood watch. After many areas of the state received over half their annual rainfall since just December 26th, flooding, mudslides, and extreme winds were all risks being faced.

On November 21st, on the Java island, a powerful earthquake struck. The 6.9 magnitude disaster hit near the major city of Cianjur, destroying thousands of buildings and causing heavy landslides.

On November 10,2022 Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 Hurricane along the east coast of Florida just south of Vero beach. Our team responded immediately following the storm prepared and ready to deploy whatever assistance is needed.

Hurricane Lisa intensified into the Caribbean waters, and made landfall in Belize in northern Guatemala. GEM responded immediately by deploying a team & sending containers.

On September 24, 2022 CAT4 Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic damage along the SW coast of Florida leaving thousands of survivors devasted.GEM Bstrong, in partnership with Dade County, deployed teams, loaded trucks and established partnerships in the areas affected.

On September 18,2022, Hurricane Fiona causing catastrophic flooding and power outages in various municipalities in Puerto Rico. GEM BStrong, alongside our longtime partner #Yonomequito, have been on the ground providing family necessity kits and water.

On June 14 2022, monsoon rains triggered the most severe flooding in Pakistan’s recent history. Over one third of Pakistan was under water; tens of millions of residents have been affected, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes.

In late July, with 100’s of structures destroyed and at least four-related deaths the Oak Fire and McKinney Fire burn throughout California.

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.

The total number of wildfires in the European Union since the beginning of 2022 is almost four times the 15-year average for the same time period.