PAHO Urges Countries to Stay Prepared Despite Quieter Hurricane Season

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is calling on countries across the Americas to remain vigilant and strengthen their emergency preparedness plans as the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season begins.

Although weather experts predict that this year's hurricane season will be less active than recent years, PAHO warns that even one powerful storm can cause major damage and disrupt essential health services.

Leonardo Hernández, Head of PAHO’s Emergency Operations Unit, said that hurricanes, floods, landslides, and other severe weather events continue to pose serious risks throughout the region. He stressed that preparing health systems before disasters occur is critical to protecting lives and ensuring that people continue to receive medical care when emergencies strike.

PAHO explained that hurricanes do more than damage buildings and infrastructure. Flooding and storm-related disruptions can increase the spread of waterborne diseases, mosquito-borne illnesses, respiratory infections, and injuries. Natural disasters can also have a significant impact on mental health and place additional pressure on hospitals and clinics that may already be dealing with limited resources.

The organization is encouraging governments to review and update emergency plans for health facilities, ensure medical staff are properly trained, and strengthen coordination among agencies responsible for disaster response. PAHO also recommends improving disease surveillance and community monitoring systems so that health threats can be identified and addressed quickly following severe weather events.

According to forecasts from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be below normal. Meteorologists say this is partly due to the development of El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño typically reduces the formation of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin.

However, PAHO noted that El Niño can also bring other challenges. Changes in rainfall and temperature patterns may lead to droughts in some areas and heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides in others.

The organization also pointed to ongoing public health concerns in the Americas, including outbreaks of measles and yellow fever. PAHO warned that dealing with disease outbreaks and natural disasters at the same time can place significant strain on health systems and reduce their ability to respond effectively to emergencies.

To help countries prepare, PAHO will host a virtual regional readiness meeting on June 11 with representatives from ministries of health and national disaster management agencies throughout the Americas. The meeting will focus on improving emergency response procedures, disease surveillance, health service management, and emergency operations while sharing lessons learned from past disasters.

The discussions will also support the implementation of the World Health Organization’s National Health Emergency Preparedness, Alert and Response Framework (2025), which promotes a comprehensive approach to managing health emergencies and strengthening national response systems.

PAHO said it will continue working closely with countries across the region to improve emergency preparedness and coordination efforts, helping ensure faster and more effective responses when future disasters occur.