Hurricanes Maria and Irma - 2017
Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 Hurricane with record-breaking wind speed in the Atlantic, impacted several Caribbean Islands including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos, and the US Virgin Islands that were in its path after making landfall on September 5, 2017. Two weeks later, another Category 5 hurricane, Maria, brought further devastation to the Caribbean Islands, adding Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Puerto Rico to the list of heavily impacted islands.
As part of the response, PAHO activated its Incident Management System and coordinated health cluster activities in the most seriously affected islands that requested international support. The Medical Information and Coordination Cell (CICOM) was also activated.
Zika Outbreak - 2015
Given the rapid dissemination of Zika virus in the Region of the Americas as well as the detection of severe outcomes potentially related to Zika virus infection, PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne activated PAHO/WHO’s Incident Management System (IMST) on 8 December 2015 in order to make the best possible use of the expertise of the PAHO Secretariat in expediting the support to the Member States.
The IMST operates under the IHR, Epidemic Alert and Response unit within the Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis.
In addition to the activation of the IMST, PAHO designed other initiatives as part of the Strategy for Enhancing National Capacity to Respond to the Zika virus epidemic in the Americas.
Haiti Earthquake - 2010
The January 12, 2010 earthquake was the most powerful to strike Haiti in 200 years. It killed more than 220,000 people, injured approximately 300,000, and displaced more than one million Haitians. Two hundred staff from the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP per its acronym in French) lost their lives when the buildings collapsed. Adding to the devastation, on October 15, 2010, the first cases of cholera were reported in Haiti, marking the first time a cholera epidemic had reached the island in over 100 years.
Lessons learned from the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 led to important initiatives such as the activation of the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT).
Hurricanes George and Mitch - 1998
In 1998, Hurricanes Georges and Mitch became two of the most devastating natural disasters in decades; Hurricane Mitch is considered to be the worst disaster in Central America in the past 200 years, with tremendous damage to all sectors. Thousands of deaths and missing were reported, and millions were affected. Development in the countries, a difficult process in itself, was seriously threatened by the economic and social damages caused by these disasters.
These disasters led to the activation of the SUMA System initiative.