US Medical Team Arrives in Cebu, Philippines
(PRWEB) November 16, 2013 -- The Disaster Response team of NYC Medics arrived in Cebu, Philippines early this morning, after the first leg of their deployment, to assist the stricken in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.
This monster storm, with winds exceeding 200 mph devastated much of the central Philippines. The typhoon was at its peak strength when it battered Leyte, Cebu and Bohol, where it left thousands dead and injured in its wake. Destruction is widespread and as many as 1.9 million people may be homeless.
The NYC Medics team of 12 arrived with over a ton of medical supplies. They are a fully mobile and self sufficient disaster response unit. Unlike other medical teams, NYC Medics takes medical care to the people, setting up mobile clinics in remote areas. The NYC Medics team includes physicians, nurses, PA's, paramedics and nurse practitioners.
According to Phil Suarez, Director of Operations, the number of injured continues to grow. Preliminary estimates range from 4,000 to 30,000In addition to the injured, people are beginning to get sick.
There are already numerous reports of tetanus, (commonly called lockjaw) which is contracted when wounds are caused by dirty metal or other object. Tetanus is a serious medical emergency and the outlook for survival is not good without prompt medical treatment.
In situations where clean water is not available, opportunistic diseases become a significant threat. Diseases like hepatitis and cholera, which killed thousands after the earthquake in Haiti, are an imminent threat.
Authorities have just begun to remove the dead from the streets, but many more are thought to be in homes and other buildings.
NYC Medics deploys rapid response medical teams to large scale disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies. Our teams have responded to complicated and tragic emergencies including the Asia Earthquake 2005, Haiti 2010 and the tsunami in Japan. All members of the response team and support staff are volunteers and 100% of all tax deductible donations go to support relief activities.
You can learn more about NYC Medics and make donations on their website: http://www..nycmedics.org.
John McGlade, NYC Medics Global Disaster Relief, http://nycmedics.org, 1 845 480 2282, [email protected]
Share this article