The Global Surge Team
Responding to humanitarian crises across the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The British Red Cross' global surge team is a group of experienced, skilled, and highly trained professionals. They are ready to be deployed to a humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world at short notice.
Alongside the global surge team, we also have surge registers, to provide additional support. The global surge team are full-time contracted British Red Cross staff, while the surge registers are a reserve pool. Find out more about the Surge Registers here.
Supporting the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
Our global surge team responds where they are urgently needed. The team works with any one of the 192 national Red Cross or Red Crescent societies as well as IFRC and ICRC operations worldwide when needed.
This might be in response to a sudden disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane but could also be in support of longer-term programmes and operations.
The team provides support at every step, from mitigation and preparedness to response and recovery.
Who works in the Global Surge Team?
The global surge team started in 2012 with 3 roles and has expanded to 11 deployable experts in highly specialist roles.
Over the last 14 years, the global surge team has responded to some of the world's most devastating humanitarian crises.
If you're interested in working with our global surge team, find out more about our surge registers.
What does the Global Surge Team do?
The team supports our Movement in the following areas:
- project/operations management
- logistics
- cash assistance
- information management
Each member of the team can be deployed for up to 3 months at a time, at short notice, providing much-needed extra help. In 2024, members of the global surge team deployed 34 times.
The global surge team has been an indispensable partner to the MENA Europe regional team—stepping in to manage critical gaps, lead emergency responses, and provide strategic guidance when it matters most. Their breadth of experience and agility make them a trusted source of ad hoc advice, helping us navigate complex contexts as part of our wider team.
Head of the British Red Cross MENA-Europe Team
Where is the team deployed?
Anywhere they are needed across the Red Cross and Red Crescent network. The team is on site and remotely across many countries in support of British Red Cross, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) operations as well as other National Societies.
2025 assignments have included:
- programme coordinator in Ukraine
- information management coordinator in Syria
- partnerships manager in Türkiye
- logistics (supply chain management) in Nigeria
- information management & logistics support to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica
- assessment coordination for Pakistan monsoon flood response
The team also helps with delivering technical training, developing the capacity of the movement, and supporting the independence of other national societies.
Case study
Nigeria Floods, 2024
In September 2024, exceptionally heavy rainfall across the Bauchi Region of Northern Nigeria led to widespread floods. The Nigerian Red Cross Society requested international support to respond to the needs of communities affected by the floods. In October 2024 the Norwegian Red Cross deployed their Water Supply Rehabilitation Emergency Response Unit (WSR ERU) as part of the wider response, to try and help provide access to clean drinking water to rural villages in Bauchi State that had been affected.
Freya Woodward, global surge team logistics specialist, was deployed to support this ERU as the finance admin delegate. Freya was responsible for the getting the resources for the programme, budget management and admin support for the wider ERU team. Working alongside the Nigeria Red Cross staff and volunteers, the ERU was able repair over 200 damaged handpumps and built 50 elevated platforms. Water committees and local volunteers were trained in handpump repairs and distributed toolsets. Hygiene promotion training was undertaken across the affected regions with hygiene kits distributed to 1000 households.
I believe that this WSR ERU enabled us not only to respond to the current need, but ensure the communities were better prepared for potential flooding in the future; through upgrading water pumps to make them more flood resistant; and training communities for future maintenance and distributing toolsets to affected communities.
Freya Woodward, global surge team logistics specialist
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