Although reports of damage are minimal, and officials have expressed cautious optimism, sustained rains could exceed 15 inches in certain inland areas. Rainfall in such amounts raises the risk of flash floods, breached riverbanks, and mudslides. It may be another 24 hours before the storm’s impact on rural communities is entirely understood.

As the situation evolves, Direct Relief will remain in close communication with Mexico-based agencies and health facilities along the storm’s projected path. Should the need for assistance arise, up to $40 million in medicines and supplies is available to deploy from Direct Relief’s warehouse.

Direct Relief is also monitoring the storm’s approach toward Texas, where a separate storm caused extensive flooding earlier in the week. Should Patricia result in more severe floods, Direct Relief prepositioned emergency medical modules at ten health facilities in Texas and has staff there to assess further needs.

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As Hurricane Patricia bears down on Mexico, authorities and emergency managers are working to anticipate and respond to its impact on the population. Doing so requires a multitude of data sources related to the storm and its path, demographics, health facility locations, power infrastructure, road networks, topography, and more.

To facilitate such efforts, Direct Relief is making the data it uses to guide response efforts available to the global community. Critical datasets will be posted to this open data portal regularly. All data is available for download in multiple formats. ArcGIS Online users may also directly link to this site.

Open Data Includes:

• Observed Hurricane Track  – Hurricane tracks and positions provide information on where the storm is located, where is it going, its wind speed. This data is provided by NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC).
• Mexican Health Facilities Patricia Path – Mexican Health Facilities within 5km of the predicted path of Hurricane Patricia.
• Forecast Positions – Provides information on where the storm has been, where is it going, where it is currently located and the category as defined by wind speed. This data is provided by NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC).
• Road Network Mexico  – Downloaded from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation Past Positions.
• Mexico Airports –  Airports throughout Mexico. Downloaded from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
• Past Positions – Hurricane tracks and positions provide information on where the storm has been, where is it going, where it is currently located and the category as defined by wind speed.
  This data is provided by NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC).
• Forecast Error Cone – Hurricane tracks and positions provide information on where the storm has been, where is it going, where it is currently located and the category as defined by wind speed. This data is provided by NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC).
• Watches and Warnings – Hurricane tracks and positions provide information on where the storm has been, where is it going, where it is currently located and the category as defined by wind speed. This data is provided by NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC).

Learn about Direct Relief’s response efforts here: Hurricane Patricia Relief 

The post Open Data for Hurricane Patricia Response appeared first on Direct Relief.

With sustained winds of 200 mph, Hurricane Patricia intensified this morning into the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere.  The Category 5 storm is predicted to make landfall at 5 pm CT in the state of Jalisco.

Anticipating destructive winds, a powerful storm surge, waves as high as 40-feet, and up to 20 inches of rain, Mexican authorities have already evacuated more than 50,000 people.

Direct Relief’s Response

The Direct Relief Emergency Response team is preparing a Hurricane Response Module and other highly needed items to provide immediate aid to Mexico-based organizations and support medical facilities in the region.  Direct Relief operates the world’s largest charitable hurricane preparedness program, and keeps emergency modules preassembled at headquarters ready to send should a disaster strike. The team is also working with the Coordinación Nacional de Protección Civil (SEGOB), Fundación IMSS, SEMAR, CADENA, and the Ministry of Health, with which Direct Relief has pre-existing relationships.

Hurricane Patricia is expected to continue north toward the United States, where it could compound the effects of a separate storm system over Texas. Many parts of Texas have experienced flooding already, and Hurricane Patricia could worsen the situation.

Direct Relief has prepositioned hurricane modules with 10 U.S. partners, each of which is located in the storm’s path. In addition, Direct Relief has offered support to the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, the National Emergency Management Team, and other partners in the storm path. Direct Relief staff are planning to be in Texas by Monday.

About Direct Relief in Mexico

As 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 a disaster or emergency. 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.

In 2015, Direct Relief received its Donataria Autorizada status, which permits Mexican residents to receive tax benefits for their humanitarian donations to Direct Relief in Mexico. Since July 2014, Direct Relief has provided $8.8 million in donated medicines and medical supplies to health facilities throughout Mexico.

The post Emergency Update: Hurricane Patricia, 10/23 appeared first on Direct Relief.

Patricia intensified Thursday afternoon into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 130mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts the hurricane will make landfall Friday afternoon or evening. AccueWeather has issued a forecast that warns of potentially damaging winds, power interruptions, and a coastal surge as high as 6ft.

Updated 2:30 PT

Tropical Storm Patricia has strengthened into a Category 4 Hurricane with winds above 100 mph.  Current forecasts predict Patricia will make landfall Friday night with winds as high as 130 mph. Based on the current forecast, the government of Mexico has issued a hurricane watch and a tropical storm for the Mexican coast from Cabo Corrientes to Punta San Telmo, a stretch of coastline that includes the major port city of Manzanillo.

The potential storm surge depends on how much Patricia intensifies between now and Friday, but even at its current strength it will drop over a foot of rain in some areas, causing flash flooding and mudslides.  If Patricia makes landfall as a hurricane, it will be the fifth Eastern Pacific hurricane to do so this late in the season since 1949.  The storm is expected to continue traveling north over the weekend and could result in heavy rain and flooding in Texas and other surrounding US states.

Direct Relief has reached out with offers of assistance to local Mexican organizations such as the Asociación Mexicana de Malta and the Coordinación Nacional de Protección Civil. The team at Direct Relief will carefully monitor the development of this storm over the next 48 hours.

Estimated Affected Population: Mexico – Hurricane Patricia: Up to 290,000 people could experience wind speeds of cyclone strength or above, while up to 1,000 people living in coastal areas below 5m could experience the impacts of a storm surge.

The post Emergency Update: Hurricane Patricia, Mexico, 10/22 appeared first on Direct Relief.