Settlement affected by the landslide. Settlement affected by the landslide.
ZF hilft.Help Projects2017: Natural Disasters

Aid for Victims of Natural Disasters in 2017

Thousands of people have died and damages have risen into the billions. By all accounts, 2017 has been a disastrous year for natural catastrophes. “ZF hilft.” Helped to alleviate suffering and hardship in the poorest regions of the world.

Earthquakes in Mexico, hurricanes in the Caribbean and the U.S. East Coast, monsoon flooding in Southeast Asia: After a year marked by multiple severe natural catastrophes, millions of people worldwide are experiencing great hardship in 2017. That’s why the funds raised by the “ZF hilft.” 2017/18 fundraising campaign entirely go to support the regions affected by these catastrophes.

Flooding in Southeast Asia

Families sit under a tent and are threatened by flooding.

Monsoons took more than 2,100 lives in Southeast Asia. In India alone, the number of deaths caused by flooding far exceeded 1,500 – the figure announced by India’s disaster control authorities. This summer, the region experienced its worst monsoon season in many years. One-third of the land in both Nepal and Bangladesh was flooded in August. According to estimates from the United Nations and the Red Cross, a total of roughly 40 million people have been affected in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Earthquakes in Mexico

Two men clear the damage of the earthquake.

The earth shook Mexico twice in September 2017. One week after the catastrophe, the number of people killed was over 350, of that number, 200 alone in Mexico City. The Mexican government estimates that damages are well over US$2 billion. The first quake caused the most damage in the Oaxaca and Chiapas regions while the second quake hit Mexico City the hardest. Thousands of people lost their homes and possessions and are left with nothing.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria

At the end of August, Hurricane Irma unleashed its furry in the Caribbean and on the east coast of Florida, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. It was the strongest Atlantic hurricane outside the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean since the “National Hurricane Center” began recording them back in 1898. In addition to Cuba, it affected several Caribbean islands, such as Saint Martin and Barbuda, which has become a ghost island since the storm because it is now uninhabitable. Just days later, Hurricane Maria also left a devastating mark in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

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