Hurricane Preparedness at St. Boniface Hospital

Health Equity International/St. Boniface Hospital (HEI/SBH) faced its first hurricane/disaster preparedness challenge of the season in early July when Hurricane Elsa formed in the Caribbean. Thanks to your generous support, we were ready to respond to the fast-moving storm even while navigating an emergency lockdown that followed the assassination of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moise, on July 7th, 2021. 

Our team prepares for hurricane season every spring to ensure we have the emergency supplies we need before a major storm develops. As we reported in April, we procured water purification tablets, bottled water, rain gear, cleaning supplies, and other goods. We also increased our stores of bottled oxygen, fuel, personal protective equipment, and other critical supplies we need to care for patients, including those with COVID-19. By June, we achieved our goal of having up to two months’ worth of resources set aside for use in an emergency. We also installed storm shutters on our new internal medicine building. As soon as we learned of Hurricane Elsa, we topped off our fuel supply, pruned tree branches, and procured enough food and water to last for several weeks.

Hurricane Elsa was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it arrived in Fond des Blancs; we were able to easily weather it. However, two days after the storm passed, the president of Haiti was assassinated. Due to ongoing unrest and uncertainty surrounding the attack, we halted all travel from the hospital. Thanks to our disaster preparedness activities, we were able to rely on our stores of emergency resources to keep St. Boniface Hospital open and fully operational during this dangerous and uncertain period. After nearly two weeks, our staff resumed limited travel for essential goods and supplies, reducing our dependence on emergency resources.

The complex situations we navigated in July underscore the importance of hurricane and disaster preparedness activities. HEI/SBH is grateful for your ongoing support, which enables us to respond quickly and continue caring for patients during unexpected crises. Thanks to donors like you, we can continue to provide world-class health services and save lives even during the most challenging situations.

Thanks to your generous support, Health Equity International/St. Boniface Hospital (HEI/SBH) has begun procuring critical supplies and reinforcing hospital infrastructure in preparation for hurricane season. These preparations will help keep our staff and patients safe in the event of a major storm or other natural disaster. 

Since early April 2021 have been assessing where to add new shutters to the hospital’s windows. These shutters prevent heavy wind and rain from causing damage during the storms we frequently experience during hurricane season. We have also started cleaning and repairing all of the hospital’s roofs to ensure no leaks or debris can cause damage during periods of high wind.

Our operations team is currently procuring critical resources such as water purification tablets, bottled water, rain gear, and cleaning supplies. The team has also begun to create emergency stores of personal protective equipment, bottled oxygen, fuel, and other essential supplies we need to treat patients across all services, including those who may need COVID-19 care. We must have emergency stores of these pandemic-specific items: global stock-outs have made them difficult to procure and our ability to travel and purchase them locally could be limited for weeks at a time amid a hurricane. Finally, the team is working to expand our storage capacity for all of our emergency supplies. Our goal is to have up to two months’ worth of resources in a dedicated, secure storage space for use during a hurricane or other natural disaster. 

HEI/SBH is deeply grateful for your support of our hurricane season preparations. Your generosity ensures that we have everything we need to respond quickly and save lives during an emergency. In times of both calm and crisis, SBH will remain open and fully operational, 24/7, to provide the care our patients need and deserve.

Links:

• Health Equity International website