Direct Relief Offers Aid to Flood-Stricken Midwest
June 18, 2008
In response to flooding throughout the Midwest of the United States, Direct Relief International has extended offers of support to national, statewide, and regional networks of community clinics and healthcare centers. It has also reached out to colleague organizations working in the area to coordinate efforts.
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), notified Direct Relief that the Community Health Center of Southeastern Iowa in Columbus Junction (pictured) was completely flooded. The center is one of the few points of care for poor and uninsured residents in the county, according to NACHC.
Direct Relief, NACHC, and the health center staff are identifying medical goods that will be needed in the coming weeks and months to help restore the center’s ability to provide healthcare.
Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin all have declared disasters in areas affected by the flooding, which has displaced 25,000 people in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and thousands of others in the eastern region of the state. Illinois and Missouri are also threatened as floodwaters are elevating the Mississippi River to dangerous levels.
Direct Relief has extensive experience responding to emergencies in U.S. communities affected by flooding. In the Gulf States hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Direct Relief supplied its partners with $47 million in ongoing medical material and targeted cash grant assistance.
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Incident: A barrage of thunderstorms starting June 7, 2008 flooded rivers throughout Iowa and the Midwest; 22 levees were breached along the Mississippi River as of June 18.
Damage: The worst flooding since 1993 in Iowa; evacuations in that state as well as Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. An estimated 5 million acres of corn, soybean, and wheat crops are ruined and will yield no harvest this year.
Health Hazards: Polluted floodwaters containing petroleum products, sewage, and debris.
Direct Relief Response: Direct Relief is working with closely with its partner, the National Association of Community Health Centers, to identify which medical goods are most needed now.
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