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California Wildfires, Hurricane Beryl Emergency Response Keep Rapid Pace as Needs Become Known

News

Extreme Weather

Smoke from the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County, California, as seen on July 10, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Santa Barbara County Fire Department)
By Ethan Richardson

The impacts of Hurricane Beryl lingered this week, with more than 1.2 million customers in Texas lacking power after the storm crippled the state’s electrical grid.

In addition to Beryl’s impacts in Texas, more than a dozen wildfires were burning across the state of California this week, including the Lake Fire, the largest blaze at more than 30,000 acres burned. In response to these incidents, Direct Relief is mobilizing medical aid and responding on multiple fronts.

  • Hurricane Beryl: Days after Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 storm, power still remains out for many, even as temperatures reach dangerous levels.
  • Western Wildfires: California continues to experience record heat in many areas, and high winds and low relative humidity have created ideal conditions for explosive wildfires in locations across the state.

DIRECT RELIEF’S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE BERYL

Texas Hurricane Relief

  • Many clinics are still reporting power outages and clinic closures, and Direct Relief is working on requests as clinics assess needs.
  • Shipments of medical aid continue to depart for health facilities in Texas, including essential medications and supplies for health facilities in Houston and surrounding communities. Field medic packs, which contain triage care essentials for first responders, were being prepared Thursday for Vibrance Health at their Wharton, Texas, location. The clinic’s emergency team is checking in with community members still without power.
  • Medications and supplies to treat chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes (including insulin), respiratory and allergy medications, antibiotics, mental health medications, Covid-19 vaccine, personal protective equipment (N95 respirators and safety glasses), and over-the-counter items like sunscreen, hygiene supplies, and pain reliever have all been shipped to health facilities in Beryl’s path.
  • Prior to Beryl making landfall, Direct Relief had pre-positioned medical supplies in the path of the storm. The supplies, which include more than 200 medical items and supplies to support care for up to 100 people for 72 hours, are staged at healthcare facilities in Texas and throughout the Gulf, ensuring immediate availability post-storm. Lone Star Family Health Center in Conroe, Texas, reported opening its Hurricane Preparedness Pack this week. The health center has been impacted by power outages this week, and Direct Relief is coordinating on any medical needs.
  • Direct Relief remains in contact with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics, the Mobile Healthcare Association, the National Association of Community Health Centers, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, and local safety net partners on needs as the recovery phase continues.

Caribbean Hurricane Relief

  • Direct Relief has dispatched medical packs to St. Vincent and Grenada from its stockpile in St. Lucia, and medical tents and patient beds have arrived in Grenada and St. Vincent from Direct Relief’s logistics hub in Puerto Rico.
  • Direct Relief is preparing a substantial delivery of acute care medications to Jamaica in response to a request from the Ministry of Health.
  • Direct Relief is collaborating with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to supply oral rehydration salts (ORS), medical-grade refrigerators, and other crucial supplies to St. Vincent, addressing urgent healthcare needs.

Assessing Beryl’s Impact and Post-Storm Needs

  • Across Jamaica and Grenada, the storm has resulted in significant power outages, disrupting healthcare services.
  • Several hospitals and health facilities were damaged by the storm, and much of the population is cut off from essential services due to damaged roads and other infrastructure.
  • Direct Relief is working with local and regional health agencies to restore medical services and supply essential medicines.
  • Direct Relief continues to monitor Beryl’s impact to assess health and emergency needs on the ground and is prepared to respond as needed.

WILDFIRES IMPACTING CALIFORNIA

Seventeen wildfires are burning across California, stretching emergency resources, forcing thousands to evacuate, and blanketing much of the state in a fog of smoke. Included among these fires is the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County, which has scorched more than 34,000 acres to become the largest wildfire of the season. As of Thursday, the fire was 16% contained and burning in a rugged area of Santa Barbara County, about fifty miles north of Direct Relief’s headquarters.

Direct Relief’s Response to California Wildfires

  • In partnership with 3M, Direct Relief is making N95 respirators available to those affected by wildfire smoke, including individuals with chronic conditions and others most at risk during extreme heat and wildfire events. Throughout the week, Direct Relief provided several thousand N95 masks to community groups and the Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Management for distribution. More masks are available for residents should air quality deteriorate further.
  • Direct Relief is in contact with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to offer support and has extended offers of medical aid to community health centers, clinics, and other healthcare providers within fifty miles of the fires.
  • The organization is also in touch with national, state, and regional health centers, as well as free and charitable clinic associations.
  • Direct Relief maintains a stockpile of medications ready for rapid deployment, including emergency medical packs and wildfire kits.
  • To avoid the consequences of power loss to healthcare providers and patients, Direct Relief has worked to equip healthcare facilities in communities at high fire risk with resilient power systems, including battery backups and solar panels, ensuring continuous care.

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