Emergency Response to Hurricane Irma and Maria

Project Report | May 16, 2019
Community Recovery, One Person at a Time

By Kelli Maddock | Resource Development Officer

Staff meeting with Pastor Miguel's community

On September 20 in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria affected some 3.9 million people when it made landfall as a Category 5 storm. Following the devastating storm, International Medical Corps met with leaders of the affected areas, such as the Pájaros community in Bayamón on the northeastern part of the island, to determine how our team could help them to build back better.

One of those leaders, Pastor Miguel, told our teams that while the local church had supplied much of the water and food to the community in the immediate aftermath of the storm, he had observed isolation, powerlessness, helplessness and financial loss within his community. Our teams began working directly with members at Pastor Miguel’s church through a series of workshops to combat loneliness and prepare for future disasters.

Following the loss of her husband as a result of the hurricane, “I was in a state of hopelessness,” workshop participant, Celeste, told our team at one of the meetings. Celeste struggled to cope with the destruction of her home, loss of clean water and crippling loss of power – all while mourning her husband. “It was the worst experience in my life,” she said.

Another participant, Juanita, had lost one of her sources of income because she could no longer rent out her home after the pro-longed major power losses. Through the workshops provided by International Medical Corps, participants and community leaders, like Pastor Miguel, learned about topics such as managing emotions, stress management and emergency preparedness during disasters. These workshops gave those affected the resources to heal and help others when they felt that the government had forgotten about their psychosocial needs.

Juanita tells us, “the skills I learned in the workshop will help me to help people.” Juanita feels confident that if another hurricane were to hit her community, she would be much better prepared to help – not just herself, but members of her community, too. “International Medical Corps has given me hope of changing my community for the better,” explains Celeste. Meanwhile, Pastor Miguel plans to use his new knowledge to establish a center of psychosocial support for future catastrophic events.

Thanks to donations, like those from GlobalGiving, International Medical Corps is able to contribute to the continued and sustained recovery of survivors – like Celeste and Juanita – even after the emergency is over.

Juanita, participant from Bayamon, left smiling

Team members facilitated discussions on emotions

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Feb 21, 2019
Providing Recovery Services: Puerto Rico

By Jo-Ann Santos Alarcon | Program Officer

Medical consultation in Puerto Rico

In September 2017, the Caribbean endured a catastrophic hurricane season with Hurricanes Irma and Maria causing unprecedented destruction. Record wind speeds and storm surge caused massive damage to infrastructure and widespread flooding, breaking supply chains and leaving communities across the region without access to necessities such as clean water, healthcare, and shelter. In Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria left all of its 3.4 million residents without power, while half of the population did not have access to safe drinking water and 2,975 people were killed.

To reach the women, men and children in the most remote areas, International Medical Corps immediately deployed physicians and nurses to provide mobile health services. We also partnered with La Asociación de Salud Primaria de Puerto Rico (ASPPR) – a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers who support vulnerable populations in Puerto Rico – helping ensure their health facilities could keep their doors open to serve the vast influx of patients. With power down across the island, our support included providing generators and water bladders to restore electricity needs and store clean drinking water across the health centers. Our teams supported 26 facilities with infrastructure-improvement projects, including the creation of 2,000 gallons of clean water storage.

To address the underlying health and health-related needs exacerbated by the storm, we also procured and distributed durable medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, distributed 14,791 hygiene kits to keep families safe and healthy, and addressed nutrition needs by providing 771 women with breastfeeding counseling and support groups about re-lactation.

As the people of Puerto Rico continue to rebuild from the devastating impacts of the 2017 hurricane season, International Medical Corps remains committed to recovery efforts. Today, we continue to work with ASPPR and their health centers, focusing on addressing needs surrounding mental health. Ashley, our Senior Global MHPSS Officer, notes:

“Survivors of disaster, like Hurricane Maria, face a higher risk for psychological distress and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and more. This can often be from suffering an overwhelming loss, such as the loss of family members and friends, or from losing one’s homes or even livelihood. Providing mental health care and psychosocial support services post-disaster is crucial to reach these men, women, and children who continue to experience stress even long after the immediate emergency phase ends.”

We thank you and the GlobalGiving community for your support as we continue to reach those in need in Puerto Rico.

Children in Puerto Rico

Our teams providing a home visit for medical care

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Nov 19, 2018
Vanessa's Story

By Ashley Leichner | Senior Global MHPSS Officer

Vanessa

On September 18, 2017 Dominica was hit by Hurricane Maria, facing 160 mph winds and severe rainfall. The devastating hurricane damaged an estimated 90% of the buildings on the island and suspended routine life for island residents. International Medical Corps was among the first humanitarian agencies to respond to Dominica’s calls for help, establishing programs focused on health; water, sanitation and hygiene; and mental health and psychosocial support.

As a part of our mental health and psychosocial support programming, International Medical Corps trained 212 individuals in Psychological First Aid. These trainings taught participants how to offer compassionate support to those who have recently gone through a particularly distressing event, such as the events of Hurricane Maria.

Vanessa, a small business owner and mother of four, was among the individuals we reached through our Psychological First Aid training. When Hurricane Maria ripped through the Caribbean island, it destroyed Vanessa’s shop and her home built on the floor above. Vanessa founded her business - New Beginning Gifts and Leathers - in 2012 with the vision: create and sell jewelry and crafts, while simultaneously training disadvantaged youth and adults in such skills as leather craft and pottery-making. For seven endless hours that harrowing night, Maria’s torrential rains poured into both Vanessa’s business and home.

As Dominica recovers from the physical destruction Maria left in its wake, Vanessa emphasizes the storm’s lingering psychological impact. “The structural damage has been repaired, but the people themselves, they’re still angry, they’re still fearful…” Vanessa said. “Some people do not understand what they are going through. They figure, ‘Oh, my roof is back up and I’m back at work’ … yet they still feel tense, on edge.”

For Vanessa, the International Medical Corps Psychological First Aid training offered a way to understand the powerful impact disasters can have on mental health as well as physical health, and how recognizing and treating the resulting psychological needs is a vitally important step for communities to recover. The training has helped her listen in a supportive way, foster positive coping skills and promote self-care and support.

“It helped me find a better way of understanding people,” she said. “It helped me deal with others in a better way… a better way of trying to comfort people.”

We thank you and the GlobalGiving community for your support as we build the resilience of the Hurricane Maria affected people.

Psychological First Aid training workshop

Tools and jewelry salvaged from Vanessa's shop

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