We Are Responding to
Hurricane Milton
On the evening of October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall just south of Tampa Bay, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane hundreds of miles wide, creating life-threatening storm surges, multiple outbreaks of tornadoes and power outages for millions across the state.
The unusually large “wind field” of the hurricane meant that its effects could be felt for virtually the entire length of Florida—a state that was still working to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall less than two weeks earlier. Debris from that storm caught up in Milton’s 120-mph winds, as well as in the flood waters caused by additional rain on already-saturated ground, created significant challenges for recovery efforts.
International Medical Corps, a pre-vetted responder with Florida, sent an emergency response team to the state before Helene made landfall. The team remains there, continuing to work with the Department of Health and local partners to help families affected by Milton.
Our Response to Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton—the fifth hurricane to hit the US mainland this year—formed in the Caribbean in late September and, after travelling over the record-high water temperatures of the Gulf of Mexico, reached Category 5 status on October 7.
A state of emergency has been declared in Florida, where before landfall the government ordered one of the largest evacuations in state history, affecting an estimated 6 million people.
Milton made landfall in an area still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Helene, a powerful Category 4 storm that hit the Big Bend region less than two weeks earlier. The presence of significant amounts of debris from that storm raised concerns about the effects of Milton’s high winds, while the saturated ground—in many places unable to absorb more water—meant that levels of flooding were extremely high.
High winds and tornadoes cut off power for more than 3 million people, putting people with chronic conditions who rely on powered health machines at significant risk. Communities and local health facilities have been forced to rely on alternate sources of power during the initial recovery period.
International Medical Corps deployed an emergency response to the state on Wednesday, September 25, in advance of Hurricane Helene’s arrival, to coordinate closely with the Department of Health on response activities. Our team has remained on the ground to help local healthcare partners—including federally qualified health centres (FQHCs), which serve low-income and other vulnerable populations—and we continue to provide additional humanitarian relief, helping people recover from Milton.
In preparation for Hurricane Milton’s landfall, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) asked us to keep a mobile medical unit mission-ready package (MRP) on standby. As part of the standby procedures, International Medical Corps readied all MRP assets—including clinical and operational staff and volunteers, supplies and equipment—to deploy and be operational within 48 hours of a request by FDEM.
We also prepositioned medical equipment and supplies, continue to assess critical needs in communities and continue to work with our FQHC partners to support relief and recovery efforts. Equipment we have provided to ensure continuity of healthcare services includes:
- alternate power sources;
- coolers for medicines that require refrigeration;
- tents to help partner organisations set up mobile health units;
- hygiene kits;
- food;
- water; and
- portable showers and washing machines.
We will report more on our response activities as the situation develops.
Our Response in 2024
So far in 2024, International Medical Corps has deployed teams in response to Hurricane Helene in the Southeast US, Hurricane Beryl in Texas and Jamaica, to Hurricane Debby in South Carolina and to Hurricane Ernesto in Puerto Rico. We also provided support to partners in Louisiana in response to Hurricane Francine.
International Medical Corps has been an emergency responder in the United States and Caribbean since 2005, when we partnered with local community clinics overwhelmed by Hurricane Katrina. In the US, International Medical Corps works with national, state and local partners in the healthcare system to address the significant challenges that face domestic healthcare services and deploys emergency response teams in response to disasters.
Across the Caribbean and the US, International Medical Corps was a first responder during 2010’s Haiti earthquake; 2012’s Superstorm Sandy; 2016’s Hurricane Matthew in Haiti; 2017’s Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Dominica; 2018’s Hurricane Michael in Florida; 2019’s Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas; 2020’s earthquakes in Puerto Rico; and 2021’s Hurricane Ida, 2022’s Hurricane Ian and 2023’s Hurricane Idalia in Florida, among other emergency response efforts. Over the past seven years, International Medical Corps has engaged partner networks of more than 275 hospitals, clinics and health-related facilities and NGOs across 18 states and territories, supporting more than 6 million patients and healthcare providers in the US.
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