Emergency Programs

A Year of Emergencies

In FY 2020, Americares initiated total responses (26 new) to natural disasters, man-made crises and disease outbreaks reaching 29 countries, including 12 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The past year and more have highlighted the increasing frequency and severity of overlapping crises – driven by climate threats and the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend has had a devastating impact on health, particularly among vulnerable groups, as communities have struggled to rebuild from concurrent and consecutive events.

We have responded to a season of record-breaking hurricane and wildfires. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season set a record with 30 named storms, including six major hurricanes reaching Category 3 status or higher — 12 of the 17 hurricanes made landfall in the continental USA. In addition, the U.S. experienced a record number of wildfires; more than 50,000 wildfires burned 8.8 million acres, consuming more than 2 million acres beyond the 10-year average and nearly double the wildfires in 2019. Our responses have also included support for other natural disasters, man-made disasters and an Ebola Virus Disease outbreak.  Scroll down to find out more about the places and people that have confronted crisis – past and present.