Australia has been experiencing severe bushfires for the last several months. Beginning in August 2019, bushfires spread across all states and have burned more than 18 million acres. Based on findings during our remote assessment, we have transitioned to a ground assessment to explore if there is a meaningful way for our team to contribute to the response and recovery effort.

Typhoon Mangkhut was an extremely powerful typhoon that brought widespread damage to Guam, the Philippines, and South China in mid-September 2018. Mangkhut made landfall in the Philippine province of Cagayan as a category 5-equivalent super typhoon; it was the third-strongest typhoon worldwide in 2018.

From January 2020, All Hands and Hearts has identified schools within the Cagayan province which sustained destructive impacts and have yet to receive help. We will be working to rebuild a primary school which accommodates over 170 students, aged 6 - 12 years old.

The 2007 Peru earthquake, which measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale, hit the central coast of Peru on August 15, 2007; the cities of Pisco, Ica and Chincha alta in the Ica Region were most affected.

Twelve years after the earthquake, a high percentage of schools are still affected, posing a considerable risk for children and teachers studying in these schools. We will be working to rebuild the “Institucion Educativa Inicial 140” Kindergarten of Santa Cruz de Villacuri, which has been declared unsafe for use by the Civil Defense authority due to the insufficient and precarious structural design of the building.

Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas as a powerful category 5 hurricane; the system was downgraded to a category 3 storm as it moved towards the US Atlantic coast. Our international response team will arrive in the Bahamas on September 10, 2019, to determine how we can best support the affected communities. Our US response team is already on the ground and assessing the impact of Dorian in North Carolina.

After wrapping up our first program in December 2019, our U.S. assessment team returned to Florida to assess areas still in need of assistance. Based on discussions with case management agencies and partner organizations, we have decided to re-open the Hurricane Michael Relief program this April. Please join us to help the families affected by Hurricane Michael by donating and signing up to volunteer today!

Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing unprecedented destruction to Texas. Harvey was the second costliest hurricane to hit the U.S., second only to Katrina in 2005. The recovery is going to be long and hard, which is why All Hands and Hearts has committed to being on the ground for at least two years, helping families recover from this disaster.

In the fall of 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Puerto Rico with the strongest winds the island had ever seen. Two weeks later, Hurricane Maria’s ferocious 155 mph winds struck the island, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the biggest need on the island continues to be roof repairs. We have also identified community spaces and schools in need of cleanup/repair and will continue looking for ways in which we can help rebuild these communities.

After more than three years in Nepal following the devastating earthquakes of 2015, All Hands and Hearts has helped return families to their homes and children back to schools in the districts of Kathmandu, Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot and Thulo. Our program re-opened in October 2018 following the end of monsoon season, continuing our goal of returning children to school.

Seeing the devastating impact of Tropical Cyclone Idai on Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, we are continuing to monitor the situation remotely to identify where our help is needed and how we can effectively assist the affected communities.