Emergency Response

Three devastating hurricanes became public health emergencies last year, and more than two dozen division staff worked on the emergency response, in Atlanta and in the field. Staff offered assistance in laboratories, health communication, and epidemiology, tackling issues associated with unclean water, mold, and disease surveillance.

CDC employee Tesfaye Bayleyegn crosses a river to reach houses in the isolated community of Barrio Coamo Arriba in Coamo, Puerto Rico. Photo by Ashley Andujar.

; public health scientist Jeniffer Concepción-Acevedo unpacks supplies

Public health scientist Jeniffer Concepción-Acevedo unpacks hurricane response supplies. Photo by Santos Sanchez of CDC.

A young girl shows her hurricane-battered home in Jayuya, Puerto Rico. Her family lost all property and was one of many who suffered from limited access to potable water, electricity, transportation, and communications in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Photo by Ashley Andujar.

Ashley Andujar heads out in a helicopter to deliver health messages to remote parts of the island. Photos by Santos Sanchez of CDC.

Ashley Andujar heads out in a helicopter to deliver health messages to remote parts of the island. Photo by Santos Sanchez of CDC.

DFWED’s (from left) Gouthami Rao , Sina de Leon of the National Center for Environmental Health, and Marisela Ansbro of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, compile data from laboratory assessments. Photo by Santos Sanchez of CDC.

Page last reviewed: May 29, 2018

Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED)