Direct Relief Extends Aid to Central America and Additional U.S. Partners as Ida Makes U.S. Landfall Today
November 9, 2009 

Deploying its stand-by inventory of hurricane-response medical material aid, Direct Relief International is airlifting consignments today to partners in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the U.S. treating people affected by Tropical Storm Ida. Based on conversations with partners Sunday and early Monday, specific needs have been identified and consignments are being built for delivery Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ida makes landfall in the U.S. today, with winds of up to 70 mph expected to whip the coast of Alabama. Tropical storm watches are in effect along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida. Clinics in the U.S. are bracing for landfall; the governor of Alabama has declared a state of emergency there in anticipation of the storm. 

A total of $271,548 (wholesale) in specifically requested medical material aid is being deployed to three partner health centers and clinics in the Gulf States:
• Bayou Clinic in Bayou La Batre, AL
• Bethel Lutheran Medical Clinic in Biloxi, MS
• St. Thomas Clinic in New Orleans, LA.

Ida displaced thousands in El Salvador and Nicaragua when it hit November 5, according to partner and news reports. Direct Relief is providing more than $590,000 (wholesale) in medical material aid to support two longtime partners' responses in Central America.

In El Salvador, the storm killed 124 people and caused massive flooding and mudslides. Direct Relief is equipping FUSAL, a longtime partner in El Salvador, with medical material aid requested to assist storm survivors, where an estimated 7,500 people have been displaced. Direct Relief’s consignment includes nutritional products, oral rehydration solutions, medications to treat fungal infections, and antibiotics to treat general infections.

In Nicaragua, Ida caused major damage to infrastructure, including bridges, roads, and homes in coastal regions, requiring more than 3,000 people to be evacuated. Power and telephone service were out as well. Direct Relief is sending medical aid to its partner American Nicaraguan Foundation, which works with more than 300 health facilities and hospitals throughout Nicaragua and can apportion aid where it’s most needed.

Direct Relief continues to stay in close contact with partners in Central America and the U.S. to provide support for their emergency response efforts.

Direct Relief USA’s Pre-Positioned Aid Readies Gulf State Partners for Hurricane Ida

November 8, 2009

Delivered to 25 clinics and health centers across the Gulf States in June, Direct Relief USA’s Hurricane Prep Packs stand at the ready as Hurricane Ida threatens the U.S. The Category 2 storm, carrying winds of up to 100 mph, is expected to bring heavy rains and flooding from Texas to Florida.

Today, Direct Relief has also offered its reserve inventory of hurricane-targeted medical material to its network of partners along the Gulf Coast. This designated inventory includes products identified during years of hurricane response and has been donated by Direct Relief’s network of pharmaceutical and medical manufacturers, including Abbott and the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.

“This year, we expanded our Hurricane Prep Program into Florida, while also covering our partners in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi,” explains Direct Relief’s Director of Emergency Response Brett Williams. “The best emergency response is smart preparation, which allows our partners to provide uninterrupted care to their patients when an emergency strikes. Support from Abbott since we started our hurricane preparedness program in 2007 has been a tremendous boost to our efforts.”

Designed to be portable, Hurricane Prep Packs contain enough materials to support care for 100 patients for three days, the time it usually takes to clear roads after an emergency. Contents include wound-care supplies as well as medicines to treat chronic conditions, and were informed by Direct Relief’s extended response to Hurricane Katrina as well as 2008’s Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Caring for low-income, uninsured and vulnerable populations on a daily basis, Direct Relief’s clinic and community health centers partners see a surge in patients during emergencies, when hospital emergency rooms are overloaded.

From June to November each year, hurricane season is unpredictable. During an active season, like 2008, Hurricane Prep Packs ensure that clinics and health centers have the materials they need to support patient care. The packs’ contents can be absorbed into the facility’s regular inventory if not needed during an emergency.

Emergency preparedness and response is one aspect of the assistance Direct Relief USA provides. Since 2004, more than $150 million in aid has been delivered to clinics and health centers across the country. Direct Relief is the only nonprofit with the licensing and accreditation necessary to provide pharmaceutical and medical material aid in all 50 states.

Direct Relief USA program staff is monitoring the situation with partners in the Gulf States preparing for Hurricane Ida and will apportion additional aid as needs arise.