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.

Op 6 juni werd in de regio Kherson de Nova Kakhovka dam het doelwit van vijandelijke aanvallen. Deze dam heeft een watervolume van 18.000.000 m³ en de vernietiging heeft er uiteindelijk voor gezorgd dat dit water de 80 naburige nederzettingen zwaar heeft getroffen.

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 de regio Emilia-Romagna in Noord-Italië is in 36 uur tijd de helft van de jaarlijkse regenval gevallen. Tienduizenden zijn geëvacueerd.

Cycloon Freddy duurde 5 weken en was daarmee de langstdurende tropische cycloon ooit gemeten. Toen hij uiteindelijk aan land kwam, werd Malawi in Afrika getroffen door catastrofale overstromingen die de plaatselijke bevolking zwaar troffen.

Vanaf 25 maart in Mississippi en Alabama zijn in de Verenigde Staten tientallen tornado's neergestort in verschillende staten. Velen hebben hun leven verloren en honderden anderen zijn zwaar getroffen door de aanzienlijke schade.

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.

Op 28 januari werd een appartementencomplex met 75 eenheden in Miami Gardens zwaar beschadigd door een brand. Meer dan de helft van de eenheden is volledig verwoest en de rest is onbewoonbaar door de extreme brand-, rook- en waterschade.

Door de extreme regenval in heel Californië zijn meer dan 8 miljoen inwoners bedreigd door overstromingen. Nadat veel delen van de staat sinds 26 december meer dan de helft van hun jaarlijkse regenval hadden ontvangen, liepen overstromingen, modderstromen en extreme winden gevaar.

Op 21 november heeft op het eiland Java een krachtige aardbeving plaatsgevonden. De ramp van 6,9 magnitude trof de grote stad Cianjur, waarbij duizenden gebouwen werden verwoest en zware aardverschuivingen werden veroorzaakt.

Op 10 november 2022 kwam Tropische Storm Nicole aan land als een categorie 1 orkaan langs de oostkust van Florida net ten zuiden van Vero beach. Ons team reageerde onmiddellijk na de storm, voorbereid en klaar om alle hulp in te zetten die nodig is.

Orkaan Lisa versterkte zich in de Caribische wateren en kwam aan land in Belize in het noorden van Guatemala. GEM reageerde onmiddellijk door een team in te zetten en containers te sturen.

Op 24 september 2022 richtte de orkaan Ian catastrofale schade aan langs de zuidwestkust van Florida en liet duizenden overlevenden achter. GEM Bstrong, in samenwerking met Dade County, zette teams in, laadde vrachtwagens en zette partnerschappen op in de getroffen gebieden.

Op 18 september 2022 veroorzaakte orkaan Fiona catastrofale overstromingen en stroomuitval in verschillende gemeenten in Puerto Rico. GEM BStrong is, samen met onze oude partner #Yonomequito, ter plaatse geweest om gezinsuitrustingen en water te verstrekken.