Action Against Hunger team delivering aid in Gaza.

Disaster and emergency response

When major crises hit, our team are often first on the scene.

In 2025, we responded to 71 disasters around the world, including the floods in Pakistan, typhoons in the Philippines and earthquakes in Myanmar.

We were there providing life-saving aid within the first 72 hours. Because we know rapid action saves lives.

We’re a humanitarian agency, responding to disasters and emergencies, conflict, climate-related shocks and humanitarian crises – as and when they happen.

Our disaster and emergency response teams around the world deliver rapid, effective life-saving aid. We then make sure that short-term interventions become sustainable solutions.

How we respond to disasters in 2026

With emergency teams on call 24 hours a day and a constant stock of essential supplies ready to deploy at all times, our internationally-renowned emergency response teams make sure urgent humanitarian assistance can be delivered anywhere in the world. Whenever and wherever it’s needed most.

After a disaster strikes, our teams immediately analyse the needs of the local population affected by the disaster. This helps us understand what kind of support is needed most — for example nutrition, food security, or water, sanitation and hygiene services.

We then team up with government agencies, local partners and community leaders to bring efficient, effective relief to communities.

 

Live emergency appealFlash flood in Nepal: Donate now

On 25 August 2026, a devastating flash flood hit Nepal. The situation is escalating, with news outlets reporting the risk of a second flood.

Please donate to our emergency fund to help us respond in Nepal. Your gift could provide life-saving aid to Nepalese communities.

Donate to emergency fund: Nepal

Recent examples of our emergency response work

  • Helping war-torn communities in Yemen – the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
  • Responding to the Rohingya refugee emergency in Bangladesh.
  • Stopping the spread of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Supporting communities affected by Hurricane Eta in Nicaragua.
  • Reducing mortality rates among pregnant women and children under five in communities affected by conflict in northeast Nigeria through nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene services.
  • Responding to floods in Afghanistan by distributing hygiene kits and other non-food items, as well as rebuilding shelters and restoring safe water sources.
  • Supporting communities in Turkey and Syria impacted by the devastating earthquake.
  • Closing monitoring and preparing to respond quickly to the growing need in Sudan.
Bushra wears a mask in Al-Harakat Camp in Idlib, Syria.

DEC

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) brings together the leading UK aid charities to raise money and work together to help people impacted by major disasters. The DEC is made up of 15 members from among the biggest humanitarian and development charities in the UK.

How we work with the DEC
Action Against Hunger emergency response in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Start Fund

As members of the Start Network's Start Fund – which is made up of 42 aid agencies – we’re able to respond early and fast to emergencies and ensure decision-making is collective and as localised as possible. The Start Fund provides rapid financing that allows us to respond to the many humanitarian crises around the world that don’t hit the headlines.

Learn more

Our emergency response in numbers

  • 71

    We responded to 71 emergencies around the world in 2025.

  • 34

    We responded to emergencies in 34 countries.

  • 191

    The average length of our emergency responses is 191 days.