Introduction: In August 2018, India's southern state of Kerala experienced its worst flooding in over a century. This report describes the relief efforts in Kozhikode, a coastal region of Kerala, where Operation Navajeevan was initiated.
Sources: Data were collected from a centralized database at the command center in the District Medical Office as well as first-hand accounts from providers who participated in the relief effort.
Observations: From August 15 through September 8, 2018, 36,846 flood victims were seen at 280 relief camps. The most common cause for presentation was exacerbation of an on-going chronic medical condition (18,490; 50.2%). Other common presentations included acute respiratory infection (7,451; 20.2%), traumatic injuries (3,736; 10.4%), and psychiatric illness (5,327; 14.5%).
Analysis: The prevalence of chronic disease exacerbation as the primary presentation during Operation Navajeevan represents an epidemiologic shift in disaster relief in India. It is foreseeable that as access to health care improves in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and climate change increases the prevalence of extreme weather events around the world, that this trend will continue.
Keywords: disaster response; emergency medicine; flood relief; global health.