Since Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton made landfall last year, Direct Relief has provided more than $50 million in aid to affected areas—$42 million in medical resources and $9 million in financial support.

Hurricane Beryl

Hurricane Beryl broke records in late June 2024 as the earliest Category 5 Atlantic storm, tearing from Grenada and Jamaica across the eastern Caribbean, brushing Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and finally striking Texas.

Direct Relief’s support tracked the storm from beginning to end:

• Pre-positioned aid: A hurricane preparedness pack (enough medicines and supplies for 1,000 people for 30 days) and field medic packs, staged in St. Lucia, were moved to Grenada ahead of landfall. Medical cots and large tents from Direct Relief’s Puerto Rico stockpile reached Carriacou Island on July 8, enabling the Ministry of Health to set up emergency wards and shelters.
• Caribbean Aid: Since June 2024, Direct Relief has supplied $6.7 million in medical aid—more than 1.6 million defined-daily-dose equivalents of medication. Shipments covered chronic-disease drugs, PPE, nutritionals, and targeted dengue-response supplies requested by health authorities, and field medic packs have equipped Medical Professionals on a Mission, whose volunteer clinicians reach isolated communities throughout the Caribbean. An additional $3 million grant to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States is strengthening regional disaster-readiness and public-health capacity.
• Texas Aid: After Beryl’s U.S. landfall, Direct Relief dispatched emergency health kits, insulin and diabetes supplies, naloxone, prenatal vitamins, personal-care items, and other requested materials to clinics across the state. To date, Texas facilities have received $7.8 million in medical support, ensuring care continuity for storm-affected communities.

Hurricane Beryl

A Houston Clinic Meets Urgent Needs, Protects Long-Term Health in Beryl’s Aftermath

Hurricane Beryl

Caribbean Rapid Response Medical Team Prepares for Hurricane

hURRICANE bERYL

Hurricane Impacts: Damaged Clinics, No Running Water, Compromised Vaccines

Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Back-to-back hurricanes struck the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic in late 2024. Hurricane Helene, a powerful Category 4 storm, hit Florida’s Big Bend region on September 29 before sweeping through Georgia, the Carolinas, and into Virginia.

Just days later, Hurricane Milton followed a similar path, exacerbating the damage left behind. Together, the storms caused deadly tornadoes, widespread flooding, and left millions without power.

Since landfall, Direct Relief has provided more than $32 million in assistance, including $27 million in medical aid and $5.8 million in financial support to health providers across the hardest-hit states.

State-by-State Support:

• North Carolina – $13.4 million worth of medical aid, $2,833,000 in financial support (Hurricane Helene)
• Florida – $8 million worth of medical aid, $2,557,000 in financial support (Hurricanes Helene and Milton)
• Tennessee – $3.2 million worth of medical aid, $350,000 in financial support (Hurricane Helene)
• South Carolina – $2.2 million worth of medical aid (Hurricane Helene)
• Georgia – $568k in product, $100,000 in financial support (Hurricane Helene)
• Virginia – $174k worth of medical aid (Hurricane Helene)

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Direct Relief delivered hundreds of specifically requested shipments to more than 90 healthcare facilities across Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Supplies included antibiotics, medications for chronic conditions, epinephrine, vaccines, personal protective equipment, oral rehydration salts, and water purification tablets.

In North Carolina, Direct Relief staff personally delivered support to NC MedAssist, a statewide charitable pharmacy serving uninsured patients. The organization received tetanus vaccines for cleanup crews, epinephrine for insect-sting reactions, and field medic packs for mobile health outreach.

With many facilities damaged, staff displaced, and access to utilities disrupted, Direct Relief issued emergency operating grants to help providers maintain services. Funding supported essential supplies, staffing, repairs, and care for patients with injuries, chronic conditions, mental health needs, and disrupted prenatal care.

Though less intense than initially feared, Hurricane Milton worsened conditions in already battered communities. Power outages, flooding, and tornadoes created urgent medical needs in places like the Spanish Lakes senior community, where Oceana Community Health deployed two mobile clinics even before the storm made landfall. Direct Relief supported the response with medical supplies and emergency funding.

2025 Hurricane Season: Looking Ahead

As the new hurricane season begins, Direct Relief remains committed not only to response, but to helping communities better withstand future storms.

That commitment includes strengthening local supply chains, expanding backup power capacity at healthcare facilities, and ensuring frontline providers have access to the resources needed to safeguard vulnerable populations.

By working in close coordination with trusted local partners and building on lessons from previous responses, Direct Relief continues to invest in scalable, high-impact solutions that protect health and improve disaster readiness—before, during, and after the storm.

hURRICANE hELENE

A North Carolina Pharmacy Confronts Destroyed Roads, Downed Lines to Fight Helene Health Threat

hURRICANE hELENE

Months After Helene’s Floodwaters Receded, North Carolina Communities Still Recovering

Hurricane Milton

Florida Retirement Community Devastated Before Hurricane Milton’s Landfall

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These shipments contained 18 million defined daily doses of medication and supplies, including midwife kits, dengue support, hurricane preparedness packs, and more.

Emergency Medical Packs Bolster Guatemalan Fire Preparedness

The Guatemalan Forest Fire Response Brigade BRIF/GUA received a donation of emergency medical backpacks from Direct Relief recently. The backpacks will bolster preparedness for future wildfire events, helping first responders provide emergency medical care.

Unrest In Tila, Mexico Creates Urgent Need

Armed groups burned homes and vehicles and displaced thousands in Tila, a town in Chiapas, Mexico, on June 8, 2024, and more than half the town’s 10,000 residents were forced to leave their homes. The violence, which stems from a broader conflict over territorial control, created even more urgent needs in Tila, where 98% of the residents were already experiencing poverty.

While some displaced people have returned home, the situation remains unstable, with ongoing violence and insecurity.

Nonprofit organization ChildFund contacted Direct Relief for assistance with medical supplies, as shelters and communities lacked essential items. In response, Direct Relief provided over-the-counter medications, vitamins, hygiene products, and other necessities. Direct Relief remains committed to assisting its partners and the affected populations during this crisis.

Strengthening Resiliency After Hurricane Beryl

Direct Relief has mobilized over $2.2 million in emergency medical aid for Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica. This aid includes cots, emergency medical backpacks, essential medicines and supplies, hurricane preparedness packs, hygiene kits, and shelter supplies. Additionally, Direct Relief has allocated $500,000 from the Caribbean Resilience Fund to support relief and recovery efforts in Grenada and SVG.

In Texas, Direct Relief has bolstered support to healthcare providers serving communities impacted by Hurricane Beryl, delivering over $257,300 in medical aid to 14 community health centers, clinics, and charitable pharmacies. Direct Relief also continues to offer its medical inventory to health facility partners through its ongoing Safety Net Support program.

Direct Relief’s initiatives in the Caribbean and Texas aim to strengthen the medical supply chain’s resiliency and ensure continued access to essential medicines. In the coming days and weeks, Direct Relief is prioritizing additional support in four key areas: cold chain storage, dengue prevention and treatment, distribution of personal care kits, and emergency and backup power.

YOUTH VOLUNTEERS Gather AT DIRECT RELIEF

Volunteers assemble 7,000 person care kits at Direct Relief’s Santa Barbara warehouse on July 22, 2024. The kits will be sent to those impacted by Hurricane Beryl and the 2023 Maui wildfire.  The kits contain items, including shampoo, toothpaste, soap, and other essentials.

Operational Snapshot

WORLDWIDE

Over the last week, Direct Relief shipped more than 13.7 million defined daily doses of medication to countries outside the U.S. that include the following:

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 748 shipments containing 1.4 million doses of medication during the past seven days to organizations, including the following:

YEAR TO DATE

Since January 1, 2024, Direct Relief has delivered 14,300 shipments to 2,027 partner organizations in 54 US states and territories and 81 countries.

These shipments contained 259.8 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $871.0 million (wholesale) and totaled 3.4 million pounds.

In THE NEWS

• As Doctors Leave Puerto Rico In Droves, A Rapper Tries To Fill The Gaps – Associated Press
• Beyond the Backpack: Direct Relief and FedEx Revolutionize Disaster Relief – Yahoo Finance
• The Use of Technology on the Supply Chain: An Interview with Gordon Willcock – LogiPharma Asia

The post Emergency Support Reaches First Responders, Communities Impacted by Extreme Weather appeared first on Direct Relief.

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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Grenada

In Grenada, preliminary damage assessments by the National Disaster Management Agency, the Ministry of Health, and other responding organizations found that the storm damaged or destroyed approximately 98% of structures on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The Princess Royal Hospital on Carriacou experienced damage to its roof, solar panels, and hot water system.  
  
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a Direct Relief partner, found that of 41 damaged health centers, 37 were still operational, although some were operating without electricity and relying on water trucked in by responders. 
  
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also reported that affected areas were difficult to access because of blocked roadways, downed trees, and debris. 

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Of 49 health facilities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 38 were still operational despite having sustained damage, according to PAHO. In the Southern Grenadines, however, the organization found all health facilities unable to operate because of damage. 
  
In addition, PAHO noted that some medical refrigerators and vaccines were compromised during the storm, with potential ramifications for people of all ages. 

Jamaica

Hundreds of people still remain in emergency shelters across the nation, according to the UN Children’s Fund. Damage is widespread, with blocked roads, widespread power loss, and flooding following more than 12 hours of heavy rainfall. 

Direct Relief’s Response

Direct Relief is coordinating closely with partners in the region, including the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, PAHO, and government health ministries. The organization’s emergency response team is also participating in coordination meetings convened by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and PAHO. 
  
In preparation for increased medical need, Direct Relief began working with partners to position supplies in the days before Hurricane Beryl’s landfall in the Caribbean. A Hurricane Preparedness Pack containing essential medicines and supplies designed to care for up to 1,000 people for 30 days, staged in St. Lucia in anticipation of hurricane season, was transported to Grenada along with three emergency medical backpacks. 
  
A second shipment of 20 cots and 20 canvas tents, from Direct Relief’s strategic stockpile in Puerto Rico, arrived on July 8. The supplies will support the Ministry of Health in its setting up emergency medical tents and providing emergency shelter on Carriacou Island. 
  
An additional Hurricane Preparedness Pack and 200 hygiene kits were dispatched from Direct Relief’s warehouse in Santa Barbara, California, on July 3. These are bound for the Ministry of Health of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Another 10 emergency medical backpacks were provided to Medical Professionals on a Mission, a rapid response team of health care providers who work to support the emergency health and humanitarian needs of Caribbean communities.  
  
Further shipments of medical replenishment and requested emergency medical aid are currently being prepared. 
  
In addition, Direct Relief is consulting with partners in the region to determine what medications, supplies, and equipment are most needed, and how the organization can best support response and recovery efforts. 
  
Finally, in Mexico and the US — where Beryl also made destructive landfalls — Direct Relief maintains strategically placed stockpiles of emergency medical supplies, each designed to provide medical support during or after a natural disaster. The organization is coordinating closely with governmental and safety net partners to keep track of impacts to health and medical needs.  
  
A number of shipments that include an Emergency Health Kit, emergency medical backpacks, hygiene kits, and other medical essentials have departed Direct Relief headquarters or are currently being prepared for safety net providers in Texas. 

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• Hurricane Beryl: After clearing a devastating path through the Caribbean, Beryl struck Texas Monday morning as a Category 1 storm, flooding streets and cutting off power for 1.5 million residents.
• Western Wildfires: A series of fast-burning wildfires ignited across California over the 4th of July weekend, as the state withered under record-breaking heat.

Direct Relief’s Response to Hurricane Beryl

Texas Hurricane Relief

• Direct Relief has 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.
• Direct Relief is preparing to deliver an initial ten shipments of requested medical aid to health facilities in communities affected by Beryl.
• Direct Relief has offered additional medical resources to the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC), the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics (TXACC), and other local partners.
• Direct Relief is in close contact with healthcare organizations and emergency responders in Texas to address medical needs that arise.

Caribbean Hurricane Relief

• Direct Relief has dispatched medical packs to St. Vincent and Grenada from its stockpile in St. Lucia.
• Twenty medical tents and patient beds are bound for 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

Twenty wildfires are burning across California, stretching emergency resources, forcing thousands to evacuate, and blanketing much of the state in a fog of smoke.

These include:

• The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County: Burning in a rugged area of Santa Barbara County, about fifty miles north of Direct Relief’s headquarters, the Lake Fire has scorched 20,320 acres to become the largest wildfire of the season. As of Monday morning, the fire was 8% contained.
• The Thompson Fire in Butte County: Over 13,000 residents were under evacuation orders over the July 4th weekend due to a wildfire in Butte County, California, which was more than 80% contained as of July 7. The Thompson Fire, which broke out on the morning of July 2, burned over 3,700 acres near the City of Oroville.
• The Royal Fire in Tahoe National Forest: Burning in remote and difficult to reach location, the Royal Fire spans 168 acres and was 0% contained as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire.

Direct Relief’s Response to California Wildfires

• 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.
• 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. On Monday, Direct Relief provided more than one thousand N95 masks to the Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Management. More masks are available for residents should air quality deteriorate further.
• 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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For medical treatment purposes as well as temporary shelter, Direct Relief is working with St. Vincent’s Ministry of Health, OECS, and the National Emergency Management Organization to send a shipment of tents and cots currently stored at the NGO’s Puerto Rico warehouse. These will be sent to Carriacou and Union Island to support their emergency response work.
 
A rapid response team of medical professionals called Medical Professionals on a Mission (MPOM) is preparing to deploy to affected areas. MPOM, a Direct Relief partner, will receive 10 emergency medical backpacks to support their on-the-ground response. In addition, 30 emergency medical backpacks intended for OECS have already arrived at the port in St. Lucia.
 
Beryl is likely to be an active storm for several days. Although it may weaken somewhat, it is still predicted to hit Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula late Thursday or early Friday, potentially causing further impacts there. Mexico just experienced a short-lived event, Tropical Storm Chris, which made landfall on Sunday night.
 
Another tropical disturbance is currently forming in the Atlantic between the continent of Africa and the southeastern Caribbean. Although it is still considered unlikely that the disturbance will form a full-fledged tropical storm or depression, concern over the potential event has increased because it would follow Hurricane Beryl so closely.
 
Direct Relief maintains an active presence and close partnerships in the Caribbean. The organization has active Memorandums of Understanding with OECS and the Pan American Health Organization and works with a number of local governments and nonprofit groups to improve health and resilience throughout the region.

Working closely with regional partners, Direct Relief will continue to monitor and assess needs on the ground and is prepared to respond as more information emerges.

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