Natural disasters

In a highly destructive event such as an earthquake, the number of people requiring emergency medical care can be staggering.

Our initial response may include trauma care for patients with life-threatening ‘crush injuries’ or urgent surgical interventions.  

We may also dispatch mobile clinic teams to reach communities in severely impacted areas that would otherwise be cut off from care. And, after such a traumatic event, the mental health needs of survivors can be complex and severe.

Where MSF is not already operating in the area, we can deploy emergency ‘explo teams’ within hours.

Vital public infrastructure may be damaged or completely compromised, shutting people off from clean water and functioning toilets.  

MSF water and sanitation specialists can get to work trucking in fresh supplies for thousands of people at once, establishing latrines or managing waste, all to avoid the spread of disease.

In events such as tsunamis or major tropical storms, a landscape transformed by water can be particularly high-risk – leading to an explosion in mosquito-borne disease, while cholera outbreaks can quickly begin from contaminated water. 

On top of the threat of water and vector-borne disease, the search for shelter can lead huge numbers of survivors towards crowded camps and shelters.  

Here, with access to healthcare services limited, infectious diseases such as measles or respiratory infections can spike. At the same time, patients previously receiving care for long-term conditions like diabetes or hypertension may deteriorate without regular and reliable medication and care.

MSF mobile clinic teams will work to reach displaced people where they are, providing treatment and referrals for the most widespread conditions. 

A major natural disaster can damage or destroy existing hospitals and healthcare clinics, while an influx of survivors may overwhelm those still able to treat patients.

MSF field hospitals – including mobile operating theatres – may need to be deployed to support struggling facilities, while shipments of medical supplies and the arrival of generators and water trucks can keep critical services running until rehabilitation work can begin. 

MSF teams are often among the first humanitarian responders on the ground for one key reason: because we are already there.  

Worldwide, in many places vulnerable to natural disasters, MSF teams may have been present for years, running long-term medical projects.  

Behind this, our robust and far-reaching logistics network enables us to dispatch emergency relief medical supplies from our state-of-the-art warehouses to the crisis zone within hours of an event. This includes pre-packaged ‘kits’ that cover everything from maternity care to our innovative inflatable hospitals.