Heavy rains — up to 20 inches — inundated much of Texas Saturday afternoon. The floods overturned cars and even derailed a Union Pacific train. While forecasters see little likelihood that Patricia will regain strength as it tracks toward Texas, the additional precipitation it could bring poses a serious risk.

Direct Relief’s Response

In anticipation of severe weather this weekend, Direct Relief on Friday sent alerts via email to 192 health centers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Direct Relief also prepositioned emergency medical modules with 10 health centers in Texas, and Direct Relief staff is on the ground to assist with response activities.

In emergencies, clinics and hospitals are often underequipped to handle the large influx of patients that often results. The pre-positioning of supplies eliminates delivery delays and enables medical professionals to treat patients on-site.

The modules contain several days worth of essential medical items such as antibiotics, syringes, basic first aid supplies, and medications to treat conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and severe allergic reactions.