With Hurricane Florence churning toward the U.S. East Coast, the potential for catastrophic damage from winds and flooding looms large. To ready a response addressing immediate and long-term health challenges generated by the storm, the CDC Foundation today activated its Emergency Response Fund for Hurricane Florence. This fund is used to extend the emergency response efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health organizations working on the ground in affected communities.

Following storms, like Hurricane Florence, a variety of health needs can arise, such as environmental health and safe water issues, prevention of potential infectious disease outbreaks, access to medicines and health care and support to meet mental health needs caused by stress. While there are many organizations that respond with aid during a disaster, the CDC Foundation is poised to work closely with CDC in addition to local, state and other federal health agencies to address health threats that affect entire communities.

"When a health threat strikes, speed saves lives," said Dr. Judith Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. "We know our neighbors will need our help. That's why we are readying our response now in advance of Florence's landfall so that we can help support immediate as well as long-term response efforts to address threats to health and well-being."

In the past, the CDC Foundation's Emergency Response Fund helped save and improve lives by supporting CDC's efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina, the 2018 hurricanes in the United States and U.S. territories, the Ebola and Zika epidemics, the Haiti earthquake and the Southeast Asian tsunami.