Open AccessDisaster-Related Surveillance Among US Virgin Islands (USVI) Shelters During the Hurricanes Irma and Maria Response
Author(s) -
Amy Schnall,
Joseph Roth,
Lisa LaPlace Ekpo,
Irene Guendel,
Michelle Davis,
Esther M. Ellis
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
disaster medicine and public health preparedness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.492
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1938-744X
pISSN - 1935-7893
DOI - 10.1017/dmp.2018.146
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , population , environmental health , suicide prevention , storm , public health , mental health , health care , medical emergency , injury prevention , poison control , geography , psychiatry , nursing , pathology , meteorology , economic growth , economics
Two Category 5 storms, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, hit the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) within 13 days of each other in September 2017. These storms caused catastrophic damage across the territory, including widespread loss of power, destruction of homes, and devastation of critical infrastructure. During large scale disasters such as Hurricanes Irma and Maria, public health surveillance is an important tool to track emerging illnesses and injuries, identify at-risk populations, and assess the effectiveness of response efforts. The USVI Department of Health (DoH) partnered with shelter staff volunteers to monitor the health of the sheltered population and help guide response efforts.