Direct Relief is sending emergency medical supplies to Paraguay following severe flooding that began earlier this month and is expected to worsen as heavy rainfall continues.

The deliveries contain antibiotics, anti-infectives, and other essential medicines requested by the Paraguay Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare.

An estimated 150,000 people have been evacuated from the capital city, Asuncion, and tens of thousands more have been forced to evacuate from other parts of the country.

According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, many of the evacuees are some of the most vulnerable people in Asuncion, immigrants from rural areas who settled on the banks of the city’s riverbeds in search of a better life in the capital.

Dr. Juan Carlos Alvarenga Ibañez, medical director for the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, reported that, “The national emergency department is overwhelmed with the situation and there are lots of people in need.”

During and after flooding, many people are at high risk of developing skin, eye, and respiratory infections as well as other waterborne illnesses.

Since November 2013, Direct Relief has sent more than $11.7 million (wholesale) in medicines and medical supplies to the Paraguay Ministry of Health.

To donate to Direct Relief’s emergency preparedness and response efforts, click here.