As Hurricane Sandy heads north, threatening portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, Direct Relief has sent notifications and offers of assistance to approximately 300 clinical partners in 17 states and D.C. along its projected path.

So far, Direct Relief has not received any responses or requests from these partners. Direct Relief’s emergency response team is actively monitoring the situation.

Three partners in or near the storm’s path have Direct Relief pre-positioned hurricane preparedness packs, containing enough medicine and supplies to treat 100 people for 3-5 days. The packs were sent to 50 clinic partners in nine U.S. states at the beginning of hurricane season, June 1.

Though Hurricane Sandy has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm from its Category 2 status Thursday, it is predicted to have a large wind field stretching across a wide area of the country. Effects from Sandy are forecasted to begin as early as Sunday, peaking in intensity on Monday and Tuesday. These effects may include destructive winds, heavy rains, coastal flooding and heavy snow. Storm-tossed debris, electrocution, exposure, or being caught in floodwaters are priorities for first responders and emergency personnel during a hurricane.

While the U.S. braces for the storm, our partners in the Caribbean continue to deal with the effects of Sandy earlier this week. In certain areas of Haiti, hospitals and cholera treatment centers are flooded.

All four partners in Haiti who received Direct Relief’s Hurricane Modules have been advised to use them as needed and two additional modules located in the Direct Relief warehouse on the ground in Haiti have been made available to any other affected partners. The modules contain enough medicine to support up to 5,000 people for one month. Recently arrived shipments to Haiti containing hundreds of liters of IV fluids are also available to anyone in need.