Hurricane Fiona Wreaks Havoc in the Caribbean, Unleashing Catastrophic Flooding and Leaving Millions Without Water and Electricity
Project HOPE has deployed their emergency response team to support local teams on the ground in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico to assess the health and medical needs of those impacted.
Washington, DC (20 September 2022) – Project HOPE – the global health and humanitarian aid organization – has deployed emergency response teams to support teams on the ground in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Fiona, which has caused catastrophic flooding and left millions without water and electricity. As the storm strengthens and approaches Bermuda, Project HOPE will continue assessing the impacts on health facilities and identifying the most urgent medical needs of those impacted.
There is high potential for Hurricane Fiona to have a catastrophic impact across the Caribbean, including flooding, storm surge, power outages, and structural damage to homes, buildings and health care facilities. Power outages, health care facility damage, access to PPE and medicines and supply chain mobility are health care issues of concern as the storm continues, and the safety and capacity of local frontline health workers are paramount.
“Hurricane Fiona has the potential to wreak havoc on the already strained health systems across the Caribbean, which have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and consecutive years of devastating natural disasters,” said Andrea Dunne-Sosa, Senior Regional Director at Project HOPE. “Project HOPE’s primary concern is to support the local health care personnel and emergency first responders to ensure that we can save as many lives as possible.”
Project HOPE has been working in the Dominican Republic since 1996, donating millions of dollars of vaccines, medicines, and pharmaceutical supplies; training hundreds of local health workers; and providing direct medical support in hospitals and clinics.
Project HOPE has worked in Puerto Rico in response to natural disasters like the 2020 earthquakes and 2017’s Hurricane Maria, helping to protect the island’s insulin supply, address the surge in medical need, distribute hygiene kits to shelters, and to establish a solar-powered, island-wide cold chain to ensure uninterrupted access to temperature-sensitive medicines and vaccines.
Learn more about Project HOPE’s response to Hurricane Fiona here.
Interviews with emergency response experts available upon request. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact: Courtney Ridgway at media@ProjectHOPE.org
About Project HOPE
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE is a leading global health and humanitarian organization operating in more than 25 countries around the world. We work side-by-side with local health systems to save lives and improve health. Our mission is at the epicenter of today’s greatest health challenges, including infectious and chronic diseases, disasters and health crises, maternal, neonatal and child health and the policies that impact how health care is delivered. For more information on Project HOPE and its work around the world, visit www.ProjectHOPE.org and follow us on Twitter @ProjectHOPEorg.