Across the globe and here in the UK, people are feeling the effects of climate change. Extreme weather events are on the rise and heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms can have a devastating impact on communities.

Recent heatwaves in Pakistan and India, devastating wildfires across Europe , and increasingly severe droughts and floods across parts of Africa make it clear. Climate change is contributing to, and worsening, emergencies around the globe, putting the health, homes, and livelihoods of people and communities at risk.

The British Red Cross is here to help. Our crisis and emergency response teams have responded to over 200 severe weather and environmental flooding incidents since 2020, supporting more than 1,000 people across the UK.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with emergency services

One example of how our teams are supporting communities experiencing the impacts of climate change took place in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland, in April 2025. A major incident was declared after a large wildfire broke out near the mountains, forcing local residents to evacuate their homes. As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, British Red Cross emergency response volunteers from Belfast were deployed to support the response effort.

Welfare checks in rural communities

Yet, it’s not just extreme heat that our teams are on standby for. In January 2026, response volunteers from across Southwest of England were dispatched to Cornwall following Storm Goretti to provide welfare checks in rural, isolated communities – some of whom had been without power for days.

Cristiana, a British Red Cross volunteer shared her experience conducting welfare checks in the days after Storm Goretti, “Once we said that we were from the British Red Cross and that we were there to check on them, their faces lit up because they felt completely forgotten.

“The British Red Cross being there was that little bit of hope that someone was there to see them and listen. They were very grateful that somebody cared.”

With your support, we’ll make sure we’re ready to stand alongside emergency services as more crises like this strike. We’ll continue to strengthen the skills of our staff and volunteers, and run workshops for young people and communities, highlighting climate-related risks to prepare for, so more of us feel ready to protect the people and places close to us when crisis hits.