Shipments of Critical Aid Continue for Puerto Rico, Including Islands of Vieques and Culebra

Emergency medical aid was delivered to Health ProMed in Vieques, an island 80 miles east of San Juan that was hit particularly hard by Hurricane Maria. (Photo by Bimarian Films for Direct Relief)

It’s been more than four months since Hurricane Maria churned a devastating path through Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Since then, Direct Relief has shipped more than 220 tons of specifically requested medical essentials, worth more than $56 million, to bolster the health system and enable care for Puerto Rico’s residents.

More than 50 nonprofit health centers, public health facilities, emergency medical teams, and locally run nonprofit organizations have received shipments of critical medicines and supplies, including organizations in some of the most devastated regions.

The islands of Vieques and Culebra, off Puerto Rico’s eastern coast, were hit hard after Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall and the islands’ isolation from the rest of Puerto Rico creates an extra challenge for medical access. Direct Relief transported medicines to Vieques in December via helicopter, and continues to support clinics in both Vieques and Culebra with ongoing shipments of medical aid. Recovery is far from over, and Direct Relief is committed to continued support.

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