Global Disaster Response

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Global Health (CGH) Office of Global Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action (GDRHA) has deployed Dr. Haytham Kaafarani, from the MGH department of Surgery, Trauma, Emergency Surgery & Surgical Critical Care, to provide trauma and critical care support to those affected by the August 4th explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. On August 4, two explosions tore through the city of Beirut, the second of which registered as a 3.3 magnitude earthquake, killing at least 220 people, injuring over 6,000, and leaving roughly 300,000 homeless. Recently, a fire has ignited in the same port region, compounding [...]

Updated August 31st, 2020 Hurricane Laura made landfall on the Louisiana and Texas coasts on August 27th as a Category 4 storm. Sustained winds as high as 150 mph destroyed homes and business and the cut power to hundreds of thousands.  The storm surge has since caused devastating flooding in coastal communities. In these areas already greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a critical need for clean water, access to healthcare and medicines, and safe shelter in the coming weeks. While MGH’s Global Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action has not yet been asked to respond, the team [...]

On August 4, two explosions tore through the city of Beirut, the second of which registered as a 3.3 magnitude earthquake, killing at least 220 people, injuring over 6,000, and leaving roughly 300,000 homeless. The MGH Center for Global Health stands with the people of Beirut as well as our colleagues who have been affected by this tragic event. Several of the Center’s Global Disaster Response partner organizations are currently responding in Beirut. Click on the following links to learn more about their work and opportunities to get involved. Direct Relief is supporting several hospitals in Beirut, attending to thousands [...]

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Global Health (CGH) Office of Global Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action (GDR) has deployed a team this week to provide a professional response in support of one of the many communities of the Navajo Nation affected by COVID-19. The Navajo Nation has the highest COVID-19 infection rate per capita than any individual US state. The Indian Health Service (IHS), which provides direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Native American Tribes, has requested volunteer clinical staff to support the care of patients admitted to their facilities amidst the COVID pandemic, [...]

“Everywhere you looked there were flattened buildings—metal awnings twisted like corkscrews and piles of debris,” said Paulina Zajac, who coordinated a team from Americares and Massachusetts General Hospital in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu this past fall. Historic Storm A flattened warehouse at Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport. The most powerful storm to ever strike the Northern Mariana Islands, Yutu was the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane when it made landfall in late October. The storm hovered over the U.S. territory for hours; wind gusts up to 190 mph downed power lines and tore roofs off buildings. Zajac [...]