Anas Alakkad and Faris Allahham, GermanyAnas Alakkad (a Saarland-based paramedic and translator from Damascus) saw photos of the flooded German cities on Sunday night on his Facebook page. He sent messages to friends in Syria.Faris Allahham (left), and Anas Alakkad, both German-based Syrians, volunteer to clean up the debris from floods in Sinzig.The 28-year old refugee who arrived in Germany six years ago as a refugee raised the question of whether or not we should try to help. My answer was simple: We had to.Alakkad started translating messages from German volunteer organisations into Arabic with Faris Allahham, his best friend and graphic designer. They decided to drive to the affected area, which is about two and a half hours from their home, by Monday.He recalled how the destruction was so shocking. It doesn't matter what you see on TV, it is more devastating.Six other Syrians and he spent Tuesday cleaning up debris from a Sinzig house, south of Bonn. Last Wednesday, at least 12 people were killed in flash floods.It was heavy and covered in mud. We had to make human chains to lift it from the basement to the street.Alakkad and his friends drew more attention to their Facebook group, Syrian Volunteers in Germany, throughout the day. The number of Syrian volunteers in the region had more than doubled by Wednesday.He said that finding accommodation for overnight guests is the biggest problem. We may be able get hundreds of volunteers if we have enough beds.All of us have traveled from Syria to Germany mostly by foot. Our tolerance for stress and pain is high. Some Syrians drove from Berlin to west Germany and slept in cars for the night.You must help one another when disaster strikes. This is something we all understand.Ms Feng 53, ChinaMs Feng was a former student staff member and saw the devastating flood waters in Zhengzhou last Friday. She immediately volunteered to help. She said that she is a civil volunteer. In such situations, I don't think too much and do my best to help others. Zhengzhou is where I grew up, and this university was where I experienced a lot growth. There is no reason to not help. While a good name isn't what I want, it is something I value. I believe being down to earth and willing to do the work are essential.She believes that there is much more to be done in order to prepare for these events, especially as the climate crisis worsens. Extreme weather is often not adequately prepared. This is because the city regulation system is not sensitive to such disasters. The alarm went off only the second day after the floods. My school does not have flood prevention sandbags, and the alarm was not activated before the floods.Safety education is a very important subject that should be taught at all levels of education. This is very alarming for our children. Although the situation has improved with the help of professional rescue teams, I believe the Chinese government could still do more to prevent floods.She points out that although her city is prepared for fire and has rehearsals each year, there is not a comprehensive flood prevention system.Global warming is far too distant from her daily life for her to be concerned about. She says that I concentrate on the present, but she is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the catastrophe. I am shocked. It is difficult to breathe.Volunteering made her feel valuable. I feel happy. I feel happy when I help others and am needed by others. I feel valued when I help those in need. In the past, I didn't understand what others meant when they said it. These past two days have made me realize the meaning of such happiness. I feel proud inside. I feel deeply content that I have done my best to make this a better place to live and work.Grigory Mochkin (Russia)A 32-year old CrossFit coach stepped up to the plate when a terrible airpocalypse struck Yakutsk in north-eastern Siberia.Grigory Mochkin is an entrepreneur and an athlete. He said that he signed up to be one of the hundreds of volunteers fighting the fires because he felt moved by the outrage over social media and the fact [the fires] had touched so close to the place where he lives.He recorded a video on a recent trip and called for CrossFitters to support the volunteer brigades in Yakutia fighting unprecedented fires. He declared CrossFit strong, raising his fist to the sky.He also talked about fighting the fires that threaten the future of his family, which includes his daughter who was born this year. He said that she is his first child. It is my responsibility to make sure that my child does not breathe the same air as those he was breathing now.Yakutia, with its minus 50C temperatures, is a beautiful and unique region. However, summers are becoming more difficult due to the increasing number of fires.According to him, 50% of my friends have thought seriously about leaving Yakutia during the fire season and moving to warmer countries during the cold winter.He stated that 95% of the causes were natural, but that local mismanagement was a contributing factor. He said that fires are part of nature and it is difficult to combat them. As a child grows over nine months, so too with fire fighting. You can't just go in and douse them. It takes time, and there is a lot to be outraged about.Mochkin, along with other CrossFitters, travels dozens of miles armed with water bottles and shovels to build firebreaks.He said that it is difficult when smoke blows in our direction. It's easier for athletes. It is necessary to carry a heavy load with you on your back while walking long distances.Beau Gulledge, 21; and Annaet Juarez (25), USThe California Conservation Corps wildland fire crews are made up of young women. This program provides training and experience to help you get started in firefighting.Beau Gulledge is a 21-year old Californian native and is currently in her second year of the programme. She says that when she first started she felt like a fish out the water because she was the only woman to make it onto a crew.The feeling quickly subsided when she was sent out to face her first fire in July 2020.She said it was three in the morning when she received the call. She also recounted that she was curious if the event was real. I was thinking about what I'd eaten over the past month. Did I push myself enough? Are I up for it?She spent twelve hours helping to build a fireline that would stop the flames from moving forward, despite the pain in her eyes. Her perspective changed by the time she put out the fire. She says that although I was physically exhausted, I was so glad my body was able to push through and accomplish anything.Annaet Juarez (25), says that the camaraderie makes her work in fighting fires more meaningful. She collapsed from the weight and pressure during training, which included a tough pack test in which recruits must carry 45lb bags across 3 miles in less than 45 minutes.She says it was the most physically demanding thing she has ever done. My crew supported me and I made it through.Now, she is part of an all-female crew. Although she admits that fighting fires can be more difficult than she thought, she finds her team to make it easier. They are right when they say that the fire is hot. She says it is especially hot when you're 3ft from the fire and have to be moving, working, or cutting line. Although it is much harder than I expected, it has made me stronger and I now know that I can do more.
