A shipment of 500 doses of tetanus vaccine for Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc. in Washington, NC is underway. Merck has generously made tetanus vaccine available to clinics and community health centers affected by Hurricane Irene. Direct Relief will continue to work closely with Merck and other donors to fill requests as they come in.

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Working with the National Association of Community Health Centers, Direct Relief has also reached out to the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA), the Bi-State Primary Care Association (representing Vermont and New Hampshire Community Health Centers) and the Vermont Coalition of Clinics for the Uninsured (representing mostly free clinics) to offer assistance for people affected by Irene.

With the help of NCCHCA, the team has also reached out to Goshen Medical Center and Metropolitan Community Health Services in NC. Both facilities have sustained damage from the flooding and Direct Relief is working to arrange support for their relief efforts.  Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in Ahoskie, NC, used contents from its pre-positioned Hurricane Prep Pack in its emergency response efforts and is working closely with county emergency management services.

Power outages across large areas have limited communications, but several Direct Relief partners have indicated that they not in need of additional aid as of yet. Direct Relief is staying in contact with partners across the states Irene hit to ensure they have the materials they need to help people affected by the storm.

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As part of its annual Hurricane Preparedness Program, Direct Relief distributed 39 packs in the U.S. before hurricane season started in June. The packs contain enough material to treat 100 people for three to five days for a variety of health issues, from chronic conditions to trauma injuries.

Though not carrying the force it was predicted to have, Irene was the cause of 15 deaths, power outages, and widespread flooding across eight states that displaced tens of thousands of people, according to news reports.

As partners assess the situation and needs of their patients following Irene, Direct Relief will work to provide the medical material they request.

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Direct Relief icons on the map pinpoint partner locations where Hurricane Prep Packs have been delivered before hurricane season as part of the organization’s emergency preparedness initiative. Among the 39 locations receiving Hurricane Prep Packs in 2011, 17 of them stand ready to help in states Irene is expected to hit over the next few days, including Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Evacuations started yesterday in North Carolina.

Storm position and estimated effects are updated continually based on resources from NOAA and the National Weather Service. Background layers, including social vulnerability estimates (how many people could be heavily affected by the storm) are available by clicking on the “Additional Layers” tab.

Currently a Category 2 storm, Hurricane Irene is expected to affect an estimated 55 million people as it moves up the U.S. East Coast, most of which is under hurricane watch, according to news reports. Direct Relief’s Hurricane Prep Packs contain enough material to treat 100 patients for up to five days for a variety of health issues, from trauma injuries to chronic conditions.

Direct Relief’s emergency response team is closely monitoring the situation and is in frequent contact with its more than 250 partners in 15 states, as well as state Primary Care Associations and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) to offer assistance and meet needs as they are identified. Additional aid from Direct Relief’s standing inventory stands ready to help, with several donor companies supporting hurricane response efforts.

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Hurricane Prep Packs are positioned at nine locations in Florida, four in Georgia, three in North Carolina, and one in South Carolina. The packs were delivered in June as part of Direct Relief’s Emergency Preparedness program in the U.S. and contain enough material to treat 100 patients for up to five days following an emergency. Waterproof and easy to transport, the packs enable clinics to treat patients for a variety of needs, from chronic conditions to trauma injuries.

Direct Relief designed the packs following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, based on needs identified during the response. The program has grown each year since its inception in 2007, with a total of 39 partners in the U.S. receiving packs for the 2011 storm season. If not used for an emergency, the packs’ contents can be assimilated into clinic inventories for regular patient care. Direct Relief partners in the Caribbean receive larger preparedness modules suited to their needs, with nine locations stocked this year.

Direct Relief has also reached out to its 208 partners in the states Irene is expected to hit to offer additional assistance as needed, and is carefully monitoring the situation.

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