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Long-Term Public Health Responses in High-Impact Weather Events: Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico as a Case Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2019

Charles W. Cange Open the ORCID record for Charles W. Cange [Opens in a new window]  and
Jacy McGaw-Césaire
Charles W. Cange*
Affiliation:
City University of New York, Bronx, New York
Jacy McGaw-Césaire
Affiliation:
Independent Consultant, JacyGray Con
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Charles Cange, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park, W, Gillet 422C, Bronx, NY 10468. (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

This statement responds to the public health challenges in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria during September 2017. As a result of Maria, and to a certain extent Hurricane Irma, the territory sustained unprecedented damage. We call for a mid- and long-term public health response and research to assess the long-term impacts of high-impact weather events, such as Maria’s effects on Puerto Rico, including impacts on vulnerable populations’ environmental health and well-being.

Keywords

climate changedisastersepidemiological monitoringhealth impact assessmentmass casualty incidents
Type
Policy Analysis
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 18 - 22
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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