The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is calling on countries across the Americas to strengthen emergency preparedness measures despite forecasts predicting a below-normal 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. Health officials emphasize that even a single major storm can cause widespread disruption to healthcare services and create serious public health challenges.
As the hurricane season begins, PAHO is encouraging governments to review contingency plans, improve coordination mechanisms, and ensure that health facilities are prepared to respond effectively to hurricanes, floods, landslides, and other extreme weather events. The organization stresses that proactive planning is essential to protecting lives and maintaining access to critical healthcare services during emergencies.
Although forecasts from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggest that the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season may be less active due to developing El Niño conditions, experts warn that significant risks remain. El Niño can reduce tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic but may also contribute to droughts, heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides in different parts of the Americas.
PAHO highlighted that extreme weather events can lead to infrastructure damage, interruptions in essential services, and increased risks of waterborne diseases, vector-borne illnesses, respiratory infections, injuries, and mental health challenges. Such events can place additional strain on healthcare systems that are already managing ongoing public health concerns.
The organization is urging countries to update emergency response plans, train healthcare personnel, strengthen surveillance systems, and enhance community-based monitoring to detect and respond quickly to health threats linked to severe weather conditions.
Preparedness efforts are particularly important given the current epidemiological situation in the region, including ongoing outbreaks of measles and yellow fever, as well as the need to remain vigilant against emerging and re-emerging diseases. Simultaneous health and climate-related emergencies can significantly increase pressure on national health systems.
To support regional readiness, PAHO will host a virtual preparedness meeting on June 11, bringing together health ministry officials and disaster risk management agencies from across the Americas. The meeting will focus on improving emergency response protocols, epidemiological surveillance, health service continuity, and operational coordination while incorporating lessons learned from previous disasters.
The initiative also supports the implementation of the World Health Organization’s National Health Emergency Preparedness, Alert and Response Framework 2025, which promotes a comprehensive approach to emergency management through surveillance, community protection, healthcare delivery, access to medical countermeasures, and emergency coordination.
PAHO continues to work with countries throughout the region to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capabilities, helping ensure that health systems remain resilient and capable of protecting communities when disasters strike.
