Direct Relief Watching Tropical Storm Felix and Hurricane Henriette, Ready to Respond
SANTA BARBARA, CA (September 4, 2007) Direct Relief is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Felix, downgraded from hurricane status earlier today, and Hurricane Henriette, currently at Category 1 strength. Direct Relief is prepared to respond with medical aid to partners in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua should additional resources be needed.
Felix has already hit the Caribbean coastlines of Nicaragua and Honduras at its earlier Category 5 strength, the most powerful type of storm. According to Reuters, the hurricane has caused two reported deaths, destroyed Puerto Cabezas in Nicaragua, and displaced 70,000 Hondurans. Though downgraded to tropical storm status, Felix is expected to hit Guatemala and Belize with heavy rains which could cause flooding and mudslides.
Henriette swept through the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico today. There have been no reports of casualties or major damage resulting from the hurricane, though the Mexican government has declared a state of emergency.
Direct Relief has a history of responding to hurricanes and other disasters in Central America. After the highly destructive Hurricane Mitch in 1998 that killed more than 10,000 people, Direct Relief provided emergency medical aid to partners in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on top of ongoing material support of their operations. A full history of Direct Relief's emergency response efforts is available at http://www.directrelief.org/EmergencyResponse/2007/History.aspx.
About Direct Relief International
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief International is a Santa Barbara, California-based nonprofit organization focused on improving the quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. In 2006, Direct Relief provided over $200 million in direct aid through medical material assistance and targeted cash grants to more than 300 healthcare facilities and organizations in 56 countries, providing 23.8 million courses of treatment. Direct Relief is one of two charities ranked by Forbes that has received a perfect fundraising efficiency score for five consecutive years.