Missions

On March 28th, a massive 7.7 quake struck near Myanmar’s city of Mandalay, followed by a 6.4 aftershock. The effects of the quake has trapped hundreds of people inside destroyed buildings and rubble, with crews working to free stuck people.

On March 15, multiple heavy tornadoes struck down in Missouri. These extreme storms took the lives of many and caused severe destructions across many communities. The GEM team responded immediately to Bakersfield and surrounding communities, and are on the ground now.

On March 7th, Bahía Blanca and Cerri, Argentina were hit with over a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours. The heavy water quickly damaged roads, bridges, cars, housing, infrastructure, and the region. There have been 16 confirmed deaths, and still over 100 people missing.

In San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala the Fuego Volcano was slowly erupting, spewing ash and lahar across neighbourhoods. Hundreds of residents have been evacuated from surrounding regions, as well as multiple school and road closures, with tens of thousands more evacuations expected.

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.

On May 24, 2022, a gunman fatally shot nineteen students and two teachers and wounded many others at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Over 1,000 firefighters backed by bulldozers and aircraft battled the largest active wildfire in the U.S. on Saturday after strong winds pushed it across some containment lines.

On April 29th a tornado that damaged more than 1,000 buildings in south-central Kansas generated winds up to 165 mph (266 kph) and carved a path of destruction nearly 13 miles (21 kilometers)

On February 25, 2022, the second day of the invasion, GEM BStrong arrived in Medyka, Poland, along the Ukrainian-Polish border offering aid and support to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

On January 9, 2022, a malfunctioning space heater was the source of an apartment building fire in the Bronx that killed 17 people including eight children, making it one of the worst fires in the city.

On December 10, 2021 in the night a violent, long-tracked tornado caused severe damage across parts of central and southern United States including Kentucky impacting numerous towns, including Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs, and Bremen with a death toll exceeding 70.

On November 5th, 2021 a crowd surge at a Houston music festival turned into a deadly tragedy, with eight killed and many injured.

Due to the latest circumstances, homelessness in the United States has dramatically increased and as of 2021 there are currently 552,830 estimated to be homeless.

On August 26, 2021, late afternoon, the National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings for parts of coastal Louisiana including New Orleans. A Category 4 storm impacted the communities causing significant flooding reported.

a 7.2 then this 52,953 houses were destroyed and 62,862 houses were damaged in the three most affected departments (South, Grand’Anse and Nippes).

On July 13 – October 25 2021 The Dixie and Caldor Fire was an enormous wildfire impacting seveal counties in California. The fire roared through entire towns such as Greenville and leaving hundreds of people stranded and homeless.

On June 24, 2021, at approximately 1:30 a.m. EDT, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium building in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, United States, partially collapsed.

From May 20 to June 15, severe flooding across Guyana affected over 25,000 people. Leaving thousands in shelters with their total belongings and homes destroyed.

The India variant – officially called B.1.617.2 – is one of four mutated versions of coronavirus which have been designated as being “of serious concern”.

The eruption Friday of La Soufrière — its first large one since 1979 — transformed the island’s lush towns and villages into gloomy and gray.

At least five people are dead and there are reports of multiple injuries, authorities said, as tornadoes tore through Alabama Thursday afternoon.

On February 13 2021 Millions of Texans were without heat and electricity for days as snow, ice and frigid temperatures caused a catastrophic failure of the state’s power grid.

On January 16, 2021 a fire destroyed Tuluksak’s only source of clean, running water in this Alaskan tribal community.

On October 31, 2020, the category 4 hurricane ETA hit Central America devastating the region – reporting 57 dead & hundreds missing. On November 16, another Cat 5 hurricane, Iota ravaged the region.

CalFire has reported that California has lost 3.1 million acres, or about 4,844 sq miles (12,546 sq km), to wildfires since the beginning of this year. There are currently 29 major fires burning.

Wildfires have burned 1,500,000 acres of forest and numerous historic communities leaving entire towns in ashes causing over 500,000 people to evacuate with an ever-growing list of missing persons.

On September 9, 2020 a huge fire ripped through a massively overcrowded refugee camp in the Greek island of Lesbos. This caused over 13,000 people seeking asylum to be without shelter.

The 2020 hurricane season is ravaging the Gulf Coast. Tropical Storm Cristobal, Hurricanes Marco, Laura, Sally and impending Hurricane Delta have caused $15B+ in damages disrupting millions of lives.

On August 4, 2020, two explosions occurred in the city of Beirut, Lebanon. The explosions caused 177 deaths, 6,000 injuries, and billions in property damage, leaving 300,000 people homeless.

On May 26, 2020, an ongoing series of civil unrest protests began across the U.S. that caused businesses to close and impacted local economies to a collective $500 million loss.

In January 2020, the COVID‑19 pandemic began in the United States and is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

On March 3, 2020, a deadly tornado outbreak affected West and Middle Tennessee, becoming the 6th costliest tornado in US history, and another that impacted areas in the western part of Cookeville.

On December 28, 2019, the southwestern part of the island of Puerto Rico was struck by an earthquake swarm of magnitudes up to 6.4, causing deaths and injuries.

In June 2019, over 18 million hectares burned, destroying over 5,900 buildings and 2,800 homes in Australia. In addition to human fatalities, millions of animals were killed.

On August 24, 2019, the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas, and was the worst natural disaster in the country’s history with wind speeds of 183 mph and $3.4 billion+ reported damages.

In 2019, the Amazon wildfires season saw a surge in fires with more than 906,000 affected hectares occurring in the Amazon rainforest and Amazon biome within Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru.

On March 4, tropical cyclones affected Africa causing catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, with 1,300 deaths/missing people, and $2.2billion in damages.

In 2019, the Venezuelan migration and refugee crisis, the largest refugee crisis in the Americas, is the emigration of 4.6million Venezuelans who fled the country because of the Bolivarian Revolution.

In 2018, the wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive ever recorded in California. More than 7,639 fires burned an area of 1,893,913 acres causing more than $3.5 billion in damage.

In October 2018, Hurricane Willa brought torrential rains and destructive winds to southwestern Mexico, in Sinaloa and Nayarit. Six fatalities and substantial property damage were reported.

On October 7, 2018, Hurricane Michael became the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the contiguous United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 causing $25.5 billion in damage.

On August 31, 2018, Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolina, as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain.

On May 3, 2018, the Puna eruption was a volcanic event on the island of Hawaii, causing outbreaks of 300 ft lava fountains, flows, and volcanic gas, road deformation causing $800million in damage.

On June 3, 2018, Volcán de Fuego eruption was a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows. The eruption included lahars and volcanic ash clouds with no evacuation time causing 200 deaths.

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma was a powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path and was recorded as one of the most powerful hurricanes in the Atlantic.

On October 4, 2016, Category 5 Hurricane Matthew struck southwestern Haiti near Les Anglais causing 546 fatalities and $2.8 billion in widespread damage.

On August 21, 2020, Hurricane Isaac hit the Antilles and Haiti. Flooding and river overflow led to structural damage and washed aways roadways that prevented aid from entering the affected area.

On January 12, 2010, the Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, causing more than 200,000 deaths and $8 billion in damage, with 52 aftershocks and 3 million affected people.

On August 25, 2008, Hurricane Gustav was the second most destructive hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season causing 153 fatalities and $8.31 billion in damage.

On September 11, there was a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States, where 2,977 lives were lost with more than 25,000 injuries.

In February 1998, the Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo and precipitated a mass expulsion of Kosovar Albanians as the Yugoslav forces fought during the aerial bombardment of Yugoslavia.