In today’s world, crises and disasters are becoming more common, concentrated, complex, and costly. We are no strangers to crises here in Ireland, from record breaking storms Eowyn and Babet last winter to a stop-everything global pandemic. Our European neighbours are currently experiencing deadly heatwaves and wildfires. All the while, we in Ireland have felt the impact of an international armed conflict in Europe – one of over 120 armed conflicts around the world, the highest number since WWII. Globally, these crises are on the rise.  

In June 2025, I was awoken by air raid alarms sounding across Kyiv. I was there to participate in a two-day conference organised by the Ukraine Red Cross Society to share their lessons on preparing for crisis. On the eve of our gathering, explosions sounded across the city. That night, Kyiv suffered one of the worst attacks in the past year. Tragically 30 people were killed and over 170 were injured. As Red Cross volunteers rushed out across the city to respond, the rest of us visiting Kyiv gathered in a windowless hotel conference room. With extra servings of coffee to make up for the lack of sleep, we exchanged stories of the shelters we had slept in and watched with sorrow at the climbing death toll. Our colleagues living in Kyiv shared the tips they have learned to deal with these air raids. Blow-up mattresses work well for the concrete shelter floors. For those without basements, their bathroom is their new bedroom – the more walls between them and the bombs, the better.  

It was a sobering insight for us. A small window into the daily lives of those in Ukraine facing terrifying, sleepless nights and showing up for work the next day regardless, ready to help. 

“I didn’t believe that war would come,” Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Director General, Maksym Dotsenko told us. And yet it did. And after three years of responding to the escalation of this conflict, they have learnt a lot about how to be prepared.  

After all, the Red Cross was founded for this very purpose – a society of volunteers trained and prepared to help relieve suffering during war. Its volunteers would be trained in times of peace and guided by their dedication to humanity, providing neutral and impartial aid to those who need it most. Their work would be protected by a set of rules – international humanitarian law. Over 160 years since the idea of the Red Cross was born, National Societies like Ukrainian Red Cross is doing exactly this. In Ireland, 75% of adults say they are concerned about their household’s readiness to cope and respond in a crisis (nfp Insight, May 2025, sample group of 1000 adults in Ireland), severe weather event or emergency. 1 in 4 adults say they would volunteer in their community in a crisis like storms (Empathy Research, January 2025, sample group of 1000 adults in Ireland) we saw earlier this year, a figure that doesn’t surprise us in the Irish Red Cross. Our trained volunteers work in communities throughout Ireland, alongside public authorities to respond to crises. We saw this last February when our network of volunteers quickly scaled up, with 72 volunteers providing targeted welfare checks, calling to the homes of the most vulnerable after storm Eowyn, or with the 4000 people we equipped with first-aid skills last year. 

While you must prepare, you can’t predict everything. Mr. Dotsenko shared the importance of being ready to adapt. For example, a few years ago, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society didn’t expect to need boats. In 2023 however, an attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam meant they suddenly needed to operate on water. “Now, we have boats,” Mr. Dotsenko told us. 

The main message was this: preparedness saves lives. Whether facing conflict, a pandemic or other climate related disaster, or likely a combination of multiple hazards, having trained personnel, plans in place and an informed public reduces suffering. It’s also cheaper. The exact figure varies, but the UN estimates that every US$1 invested in risk reduction and prevention can save around US$15 in post-disaster recovery. 

One key takeaway from our Ukrainian colleagues is the importance of relationships. Red Cross societies work as auxiliaries to public authorities. They are independent bodies that supplement public humanitarian services, a partnership recognised by international and national laws. But partnerships shouldn’t be taken for granted, and there are many actors with different roles when facing a crisis. The EU’s new Preparedness Union strategy calls for a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach to preparing for all types of hazards. All sectors, organisations, government agencies and departments need to be involved. The lesson? Build relationships ahead of time. Establish trust and clear roles in the disaster response system. Have each other’s numbers in your phone and know who to call.  

But preparedness is not just operational. It is also about having an informed public. In Ukraine, international humanitarian law, the “rules of war”, are not some distant, philosophical idea. It is a practical tool that saves lives and makes clear that civilians must be protected. It only works if people understand and respect it. The Red Cross has a role in helping the state in promoting these rules of war, and as our Ukrainian colleagues told us, if you only start this after conflict erupts, you have lost precious time.  

We are, thankfully, far from frontlines here in Ireland, but we know we are not immune from disasters. This is not to cause panic or to be alarmist, but it is about embracing responsibility and making sure we are as ready as we can be to avoid suffering. 78% of adults in Ireland are worried about knowing how to respond in a medical emergency and their capacity to do first aid (nfp Insight, May 2025, sample group of 1000 adults in Ireland). Now back in Dublin, I will be sharing these lessons from our Ukrainian colleagues to see how we, at the Irish Red Cross, can scale up our preparedness plans, all the while being grateful for a full night sleep, uninterrupted by air raids.  

Niall O’Keeffe, Head of International and Migration at the Irish Red Cross