Hurricane Fiona Update: Puerto Rico

Direct Relief makes aid deliveries during a Sept. 2022 clean-up day in the La Playa de Salinas community of Puerto Rico, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Fiona. (Photo by Alejandro Granadillo for Direct Relief)

By Ana Umpierre

November 15, 2022

Hurricane Fiona response, by the numbers:

More than $400,000 worth of requested medical supplies and medications were delivered to Puerto Rico.
7,146 lbs of requested medications were donated.
600+ personal care kits were delivered to displaced people.
400+ families have received healthcare services.
200+ volunteers deployed to community health fairs.
126 emergency medical backpacks were distributed to first responders in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras.
Nine power generators were delivered to patients relying on life-sustaining medical equipment.

Aid from Puerto Rico’s Emergency Response Hub reaches Caribbean countries

The situation: After Hurricane María in 2017, Direct Relief established a regional disaster response hub with warehouse capabilities in Puerto Rico, where relief supplies are kept in stock and emergency response personnel are ready for immediate dispatch during emergencies in the Caribbean region.

The response: Before the 2022 hurricane season, 28 tons of emergency response supplies and equipment were pre-positioned at Direct Relief’s warehouse in Puerto Rico, including 11 hurricane preparedness packs, which contain commonly requested medicines and medical supplies.

The impact: After Hurricane Fiona, Direct Relief immediately shipped 30 emergency medical backpacks from Puerto Rico to the Pan American Health Organization in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, a hurricane preparedness pack and 36 emergency medical backpacks were shipped to COPECO in Honduras in response to Hurricane Julia.

Mobilizing Health Services to Communities in Puerto Rico

The situation: In Puerto Rico, patients residing in remote and isolated communities often lack transportation to access healthcare services. This was further exacerbated by Hurricane María and, more recently, during Hurricane Fiona. Prolonged power outages also forced many providers to interrupt healthcare services, including the prescription of medications.

The response: Over the last five years, Direct Relief has donated 66 mobile units and off-road vehicles to federally qualified health centers and other community organizations to mobilize health outreach services to remote communities and expand access to care. To further ensure adherence to medications, Direct Relief delivered essential medicines to bolster the supply.

The impact: After Hurricane Fiona, Direct Relief, alongside MedCentro, Migrant Health Center, and COSSMA, organized health fairs for affected communities in the south and western region. Mobile units served as on-site clinics to provide primary, specialty, and mental healthcare services to over 400 patients.

Doctor Laura Domenech, Senior Medical Officer at Ponce Medical School Foundation, said that Direct Relief provided medications that allowed them to help patients “that lost everything, including medications such as insulin. [Others] didn’t have their prescription refills and could not get doctor’s appointments because they were scheduled for months after the hurricane.”

Reliable Power Sources for Healthcare and Water Access

A solar installation at COSSMA, a health center in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. The system, funded by Direct Relief, is now fully operational and provides energy for the clinic’s pharmacy, IT, dental facility, and lighting. (Courtesy photo)

The situation: Hurricane María marred Puerto Rico’s power grid, causing an island-wide power outage that spanned for more than six months.

The response: Since 2017, Direct Relief has been equipping community health centers and non-PRASA communities (those not served by the main aqueduct authority) with solar panels and battery storage for uninterrupted access to healthcare and water.

The impact: After Hurricane Fiona, while the island experienced power outages, all nine community health clinics with solar-powered systems remained operational. Additionally, all 25 community wells provided clean water without interruption.

Noemí Calderón, Facility Manager at COSSMA (one of the health centers with a Direct Relief-funded solar power system) said that “it has been a huge help to maintain our critical loads during emergencies. It allows us to serve our patients in the areas of dental, pharmacy and, with water and power utilities, we can maintain our services.”

Program Highlights

Direct Relief staff on the site of a COSSAO community health clinic remodeling project in Utuado in Nov. 2022. (Courtesy photo)

Since 2013, the community-based organization COSSAO has provided essential services to seven geographically isolated communities in Jayuya, Ciales, and Utuado. After Hurricane María, the organization expanded its scope to create a free health clinic for residents in these underserved areas.

Direct Relief awarded a $587,680 grant to COSSAO to improve the clinic’s infrastructure. This expansion will allow new programs to be developed and contribute to the clinic’s long-term viability.