Monitoring Flooding in the Southwest, Supporting Maternal Care in Nigeria, First Responders in Lebanon, and More

Over the past week, Direct Relief sent 421 shipments of requested medical aid, containing 11.4 million defined daily doses of medication, to organizations across 44 U.S. states and territories and 27 other countries.

Shipments sent this week included cancer support treatments, rare disease therapies, mental health medications, and personal protective equipment.

Monitoring Flooding Across the Southwest

Significant flooding continues across New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah following heavy rainfall in recent days. Flooding along the San Juan, Animas, and La Plata rivers has prompted evacuations and search and rescue operations in Colorado, while high water continues to affect communities in New Mexico and Utah.

Several Tribal Nations have been significantly affected, including the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe, which declared a state of emergency after widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. Damaged wastewater systems and sewage discharge into the San Juan River have also raised concerns about water safety as cleanup continues.

Direct Relief has sent initial support, including hygiene and re-entry kits, N95 respirators, and emergency medical backpacks, to the University of New Mexico's Bloomfield site and Utah Navajo Health System's site in Blanding, Utah. The organization is in contact with additional Tribal and healthcare partners across the region, including the New Mexico Department of Health's Office of Tribal Liaison, to assess further needs as damage assessments continue.

Perinatal Kits Support Maternal Care Training in Nigeria

Direct Relief recently donated perinatal kits to support a refresher training for midwives at St. Charles Hospital and Maternity in Adoka, Nigeria, held through the U-VOL Foundation's ValueHer Initiative. The kits contain medications and supplies to treat conditions that can have life-threatening impacts on women and newborns before and after birth, including preeclampsia/eclampsia, premature birth, infection, and respiratory distress.

The training focused on managing maternal and neonatal emergencies and reinforced the practical use of previously donated midwife kits. Ongoing education paired with access to essential resources helps strengthen the quality of care midwives can provide to mothers and babies.

Emergency Medical Backpacks Reach First Responders in Lebanon

With support from Direct Relief, Anera recently delivered 75 field medic packs to first responders in Lebanon, equipped with essential first aid supplies that allow them to respond to emergencies at a moment's notice. Each kit can serve between 50 and 100 people in emergency cases, providing critical support amid ongoing resource shortages.

N95 Respirators Support Nepal's Flood Recovery

Mountain Heart Nepal facilitated the delivery of 44,000 N95 respirators from Direct Relief to Nepal's Ministry of Health and Food Safety as part of its ongoing flood response. Working through the government's supply system allows the respirators to be redistributed to government hospitals, tuberculosis treatment centers, and other health facilities based on need, including those serving flood-affected communities.

With some families still living in temporary shelters as winter approaches, preventing respiratory infections remains an important part of recovery, as crowded living conditions can increase transmission risk. N95 respirators also help protect health workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed tuberculosis, and can reduce exposure to dust and mold for cleanup crews and residents returning to flood-damaged buildings.

"This handover helps strengthen the public health system's capacity to protect frontline workers and maintain essential services during recovery," Mountain Heart Nepal said.

Operational Snapshot

United States

Direct Relief sent 369 shipments weighing 37,917 pounds and containing 956,416 defined daily doses of medication.

Around the World

Outside the U.S., Direct Relief sent 10.4 million defined daily doses of medication, weighing 45,519 pounds.

Year to date

Since January 1, 2026, Direct Relief has delivered 19.7K shipments to 2,647 partner organizations in 53 US states and territories and 93 countries. These shipments contained 358.2M defined daily doses of medication valued at $1.5B (wholesale) and totaled 3.9M lbs.