×

News publications and other organizations are encouraged to reuse Direct Relief-published content for free under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International), given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

When republishing:

  • Include a byline with the reporter’s name and Direct Relief in the following format: "Author Name, Direct Relief." If attribution in that format is not possible, include the following language at the top of the story: "This story was originally published by Direct Relief."
  • If publishing online, please link to the original URL of the story.
  • Maintain any tagline at the bottom of the story.
  • With Direct Relief's permission, news publications can make changes such as localizing the content for a particular area, using a different headline, or shortening story text. To confirm edits are acceptable, please check with Direct Relief by clicking this link.
  • If new content is added to the original story — for example, a comment from a local official — a note with language to the effect of the following must be included: "Additional reporting by [reporter and organization]."
  • If republished stories are shared on social media, Direct Relief appreciates being tagged in the posts:
    • Twitter (@DirectRelief)
    • Facebook (@DirectRelief)
    • Instagram (@DirectRelief)

Republishing Images:

Unless stated otherwise, images shot by Direct Relief may be republished for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution, given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

  • Maintain correct caption information.
  • Credit the photographer and Direct Relief in the caption. For example: "First and Last Name / Direct Relief."
  • Do not digitally alter images.

Direct Relief often contracts with freelance photographers who usually, but not always, allow their work to be published by Direct Relief’s media partners. Contact Direct Relief for permission to use images in which Direct Relief is not credited in the caption by clicking here.

Other Requirements:

  • Do not state or imply that donations to any third-party organization support Direct Relief's work.
  • Republishers may not sell Direct Relief's content.
  • Direct Relief's work is prohibited from populating web pages designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements.
  • Advance permission is required to translate Direct Relief's stories into a language different from the original language of publication. To inquire, contact us here.
  • If Direct Relief requests a change to or removal of republished Direct Relief content from a site or on-air, the republisher must comply.

For any additional questions about republishing Direct Relief content, please email the team here.

Who’s Most Vulnerable to Hurricane Irma? Those Vulnerable the Day Before

News

Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma is moving towards the Florida Coast, and some communities may be more at risk than others. Click on the map to explore social vulnerability in each county in the storm’s path. (Map by Andrew Schroeder/Direct Relief)

Hurricane Irma, the Category 4 hurricane moving at high speeds towards Florida, won’t affect all communities in the same way.

The impact of flooding may be felt much more intensely in areas with large numbers of elderly or disabled people, who may have mobility impairments or special medical issues. Areas with higher rates of poverty often experience significant challenges with access to basic necessities under normal circumstances, which may be exacerbated in times of emergency.

The deeper the shade of orange, the higher the proportion of households with a member who has a disability, putting them at a higher risk of vulnerability to a storm or natural disaster. Click on the map to expand. (Map by Andrew Schroeder/Direct Relief)

For example, the northwestern side of Miami-Dade County, from Hialeah to Miami Gardens, as well as the south side of Tampa, are high on the vulnerability scale. Immokalee, which is inland in southern Florida, is also has high vulnerability.

This map shows the concentration of poverty in the storm’s path. Click on the map to expand. (Map by Andrew Schroeder/Direct Relief)

Communities with large numbers of recent immigrants or persons for whom English is not their first language may be less well integrated into existing resilience structures, or in some cases experience social isolation and discrimination. Many other factors, such as housing and transportation, also exist. When looked at collectively, they indicate a community’s “social vulnerability” to disasters.

This map shows higher concentrations of households that speak a language other than English. Click on the map to expand. (Map by Andrew Schroeder/Direct Relief)

As Direct Relief and partner clinics in Florida prepare to respond to the imminent landfall of Hurricane Irma, predicted to strike at Category 4 force and produce a dangerous combination of high winds, heavy rains and coastal storm surge when it makes landfall Sunday, we are paying particular attention to places which may be socially vulnerable for one reason or another. Using this mapping application, Direct Relief can identify areas of social vulnerability proximate to the storm path and to community clinics, as well as variations in the reasons for their vulnerabilities.

The data which drives Direct Relief’s social vulnerability application is based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index model, updated as of the end of 2014. The model uses census data at the census block level to understand relationships between different ways that disaster-affected communities may experience significant challenges in response and recovery in order to tailor resources, communications and planning to their needs.

Giving is Good Medicine

You don't have to donate. That's why it's so extraordinary if you do.