Goleta nonprofit sends medical aid as storm slams Florida
Goleta-based Direct Relief sent medical aid Wednesday to Florida, which was hit by Hurricane Ian.
Goleta-based Direct Relief sent additional medical aid Wednesday to Florida as Hurricane Ian struck.
The hurricane made landfall on Florida’s west coast Wednesday afternoon with winds as fast as 150 mph. It is one of the strongest hurricanes to make landfall there, and as it did so, it was a Category 4 storm.
The National Hurricane Center warned of “life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and flooding in the Florida Peninsula.”
Millions were under evacuation orders.
Later Wednesday, the storm became weaker, becoming a Category 3 hurricane, still with winds reportedly as fast as approximately 115 mph.
The storm landed Wednesday near Cayo Castro and is expected to move through central Florida before leaving the northeast Florida coast sometime today.
Earlier this summer, Direct Relief pre-positioned a dozen hurricane prep packs in the state. The packs contain more than 210 products, including a range of antibiotics, syringes, basic first aid supplies and medications to treat diabetes, hypertension, severe allergic reactions and other conditions.
And Direct Relief Wednesday was coordinating multiple rapid response shipments of medical aid across the state and planned to continue to respond to requests in the coming days and weeks.
“Several of our contacts in Florida — health centers and clinics — have made orders for additional supplies that left our warehouse today,” Tony Morain, vice president of communications for Direct Relief, told the News-Press Wednesday evening.
Mr. Morain said many of Direct Relief’s contacts are without communications after losing power, but the Goleta nonprofit expects to be in contact with them again today.
On Wednesday night, more than 1.8 million people were without power in Florida, according to poweroutage.us.
Direct Relief has hurricane preparedness packs staged in Georgia, South Carolina and across the U.S. Gulf Coast, and emergency supplies were staged in Havana, Cuba, prior to Hurricane Ian reaching the island.
“Direct Relief has been in daily communication with the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, as well as Florida VOAD, or Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster,” Direct Relief said on its website (www.directrelief.org). “Direct Relief is also ready to deploy additional medicines and supplies as well as a variety of backup power options as needed.”
At least 26 states sent help to Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday.
The aid varied from Blackhawk helicopters from Alabama to search and rescue resources from Tennessee and Louisiana.
email: dmason@newspress.com
