Hurricane Bud Churns Path Along Mexico’s Coast

By Tony Morain

June 12, 2018

*Click the map above to view Hurricane Bud’s location in real time.*

Hurricane Bud, the second Category 4 storm to approach Mexico in the past week, is continuing to track northwest along the western coast of Mexico.

The most intense wind activity is not predicted to impact land; however, torrential rain could cause flash flooding and increase landslide risk in Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco later in the week. Up to 12 inches of rain is expected in these areas.

Direct Relief is preparing a Hurricane Response Module, which contains essential medicines needed to treat patients in emergency situations, to be shipped to Mexico-based organizations and medical facilities in the region, should the need arise.

Intra-Mexico Logistics

Eduardo Mendoza, Direct Relief’s general manager of programs in Mexico, sits at a meeting of governing bodies to offer relief after a the earthquake ravaged the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca. (Photo by Meghan Dhaliwal for Direct Relief)

Direct Relief operates the world’s largest charitable hurricane preparedness program, and keeps emergency modules preassembled at its headquarters, ready to send in the event of a disaster.

As a registered nonprofit in Mexico, Direct Relief helps Mexican hospitals, clinics, and foundations gain access to medical products that are needed to make a difference in the lives of Mexicans with a serious disease or illness or affected by emergencies. This includes work to address non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as to manage emergency and disaster preparedness and response activities in Mexico.

Since receiving Donataria Autorizada status in 2015 – a designation that permits Mexican residents to receive tax benefits for their humanitarian donations – Direct Relief has provided more than $22 million in donated medicines and medical supplies to health facilities throughout Mexico.

Contributions from companies that include Abbvie, Abbott, BD, FedEx and Baxter, which have a significant presence in Mexico, have allowed medicines and medical resources from within the country to be routed to areas of high need.

Patients are evacuated from a nearby hospital into a park in Roma Norte, a Mexico City neighborhood impacted by a large earthquake that struck on Sept. 19, 2017. (Courtesy photo)

This model of domestically-sourced humanitarian assistance proved invaluable during the 2017 earthquakes, which rocked Mexico City and the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas and left hundreds dead and critically injured.

The quakes prompted Direct Relief to establish a warehouse in Oaxaca as a secondary distribution point, adding to the organization’s main logistics hub in Mexico City.

As Hurricane Bud approaches land, Direct Relief stands ready to mobilize its in-country inventory and logistics infrastructure to support local health centers and emergency response agencies.