One year after Hurricane Maria – On the front lines of health and climate change - PAHO/WHO

This downed tree over this house seemed to convey that in a way that other images couldn't. Huge and mighty, the soil became so saturated, even it's roots could not maintain grip. It toppled over directly on top of the home of Victor Sierra.

Hurricane Maria was one of the deadliest storms to devastate the Caribbean. When it touched down in Puerto Rico in September 2017, it provoked the territory’s worst natural disaster on record. A year has now passed, but while the process of reconstruction is well underway, the lasting impact on the mental and physical health of the population continues to be felt, underscoring the need to ensure that healthcare remains front and center of climate change response measures.

Time may have passed, but in many respects, it stands still. Keys remained abandoned in flooded cars. Countless residents simply left. Homes emptied, doors left open, bulldozers pushing the remnants of peoples’ belongings into piles so that disaster relief crews could move through the streets.

According to the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) Health in the Americas report, climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century and by the 2030s, will be responsible for around 250,000 additional deaths per year.

Global warming disrupts precipitation patterns, increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as storms, hurricanes and heatwaves. Due to their location in low-lying areas, small island states like Puerto Rico are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

Communicable Diseases

Climate Change and Health