On September 18th 2017, a category 5 hurricane bore down on the island of Dominica and lashed it for hours. Torrential rain and 160mph gusts tore off roofs, smashed through walls, uprooted trees and lifted roads. Communication towers snapped in two, schools were flattened and electricity cut. Nothing was spared.
According to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), less than half of the island’s hospitals and clinics were operational immediately after the hurricane.
Two consecutive, self-sufficient, EMT Type-1/Mobile Medical Teams were deployed to Dominica to provide medical care.
NYCMedics initial medical team arrived in Roseau, Dominica on September 29 and a second team arrived on October 11 to provide continuous medical support through October 23.
Seven-member team consisted of 1 Team Lead and 6 clinical providers. The 6 clinicians were made up of 1 physician (with specialization in Emergency Medicine), 2 registered nurses, and 3 paramedics.
The 14 volunteers NYC Medics deployed trekked to patients in remote villages, staffed Princess Margaret Hospital and the Roseau Health Center and cared for hundreds of patients.
