Hurricane Helene Strengthens As It Tracks Towards Florida Coastline

Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified as it tracked toward Florida's Big Bend area, with the storm expected to make landfall on Thursday, potentially as a Category 3 hurricane.

The storm presents "danger of life-threatening storm surge… along the entire Florida Peninsula and Florida Big Bend, where a storm surge warning is in effect," according to the National Hurricane Center.

More than 32 million people are under flood watch, and 61 counties in Florida are currently under a state of emergency declaration.

Direct Relief has a long history of responding to hurricanes in the U.S., including Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in 2022 in the Fort Myers area, and Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm that had devastating impacts in 2018 on the Mexico Beach community, which is currently near Helene's projected path.

In advance of the storm, Direct Relief is in contact with national, regional, state, and local organizations about potential medical needs expected from Helene's impacts.

These include the Florida Association of Community Health Centers, the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, the National Association of Community Health Centers, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, the Mobile Healthcare Association, as well as Direct Relief-supported health facilities in the expected area of impact.

In advance of hurricane season, Direct Relief pre-positions caches of essential medicines in storm-prone areas of the U.S. Gulf Coast and Caribbean. These hurricane preparedness packs are designed to contain medical essentials needed to sustain health services. Multiple clinics in the storm's projected path are equipped with these modules, and have access to these medications if needed.

The organization also maintains a medical inventory to address health issues that often arise from a hurricane's aftermath. People without access to chronic disease medications, including diabetes and high blood pressue, can end up in medical crisis without access to these medications, which can be left behind during evacuation. Field medic packs are often requested for those providing triage care outside of clinic walls, and personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves, have been used during the recovery phase of a storm, as well as tetanus vaccine and other protective measures for those involved in debris and storm cleanup.

Direct Relief will respond to needs as they become known.

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