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.