Category: UW researchers

Patience Komba, a Doctor of Global Health (DrGH) candidate in the Department of Global Health, describes her experience navigating Hurricane Beryl in Jamaica this summer.

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Tell us about your background.

My background includes extensive work in strengthening health systems with a focus on Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and digital health. For several years, I worked in Tanzania, supporting efforts to improve the quality of HIV/AIDS services across numerous regions and health facilities. Due to the challenges of providing on-site technical assistance to all facilities, my team and I developed the Digital CQI Platform—a web-based tool designed to streamline the monitoring and reporting of CQI initiatives. This platform reduced reliance on paper-based systems and enabled remote support for facilities that were difficult to reach promptly. The success of the platform in Tanzania led to its expansion into other countries, including Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, and Botswana.

Why were you in Jamaica this summer?

My involvement in Jamaica began under the guidance of my supervisor, Nancy Puttkammer, a co-faculty lead at the Digital Initiatives Group at I-TECH (DIGI) and a Professor at the Department of Global Health, as part of our efforts to adapt the Digital CQI Platform, better known as the CQI App, for use in the Caribbean. Working closely with other DIGI colleagues, we successfully rolled out the CQI App in Jamaica earlier this year. I traveled to Jamaica this summer as part of my DrGH program to conduct an evaluation, where I am honing my skills in evaluating digital health initiatives. The evaluation aimed to gather insights into user experiences and identify challenges to refine our adaptation and scale-up strategies for the CQI App.

The trip was meticulously planned and fully supported by I-TECH, C-TECH, DIGI, DrGH program leadership, and the UW Office of Global Affairs, all of whom worked closely with me to ensure I adhered to all safety precautions. Despite these thorough preparations, nothing could have prepared me for the experience of facing Hurricane Beryl—a challenge like none I had anticipated!

Describe your experience driving across the island before Hurricane Beryl landed.

I arrived in Kingston, Jamaica, on June 29, with plans to begin our evaluation work on June 30. Despite having no personal experience with hurricanes, I was initially unfazed when I first heard of Hurricane Beryl’s approach. However, the severity of the situation soon became clear. As Georgia Simmonds, the CQI lead in Jamaica, and I drove from Kingston to Montego Bay on July 1, two days before the predicted landfall, the drive felt strikingly surreal. The weather was deceptively calm, with clear blue skies—a stark contrast to the Category 5 hurricane looming ahead. Georgia shared stories of past hurricanes in Jamaica, particularly one in the 1970s that caused widespread devastation, which underscored the potential threat we were facing.

As we neared Montego Bay and settled into the Riu Hotel, the island’s preparations for the hurricane were evident. Military convoys, supply trucks, and locals scrambling for essentials highlighted the seriousness of the impending storm. Despite this, the serene drive seemed at odds with the palpable tension around us. That evening, our team wisely decided to return to Kingston immediately after our meeting the next day, ahead of the hurricane’s expected landfall. This decision was crucial, as a 24-hour curfew was enforced across the island early Wednesday morning, making further travel impossible.

The drive back to Kingston on July 2 was marked by an eerie quiet and heavy traffic, with residents rushing to secure their homes and gather supplies. Georgia’s insights into hurricane preparedness provided a clearer picture of what was to come. For someone like me, who had never experienced a hurricane, the journey was an eye-opening lesson in the gravity of natural disasters and the resilience required to face them.

What did you do once Hurricane Beryl hit the island?

I initially stayed at the Courtleigh Hotel in Kingston before moving to the Riu Hotel in Montego Bay. However, as Hurricane Beryl approached, we returned to Kingston to be closer to established safety networks. On July 3, the day the hurricane was expected to make landfall, the island was under a strict curfew. The morning began with deceptively calm and clear skies, but as the outer bands of the hurricane reached the island, the situation quickly deteriorated with fierce winds and torrential rains.

I watched in disbelief from my hotel room as the powerful winds roared through the city, uprooting trees and causing significant damage, including downed streetlights and palm trees in nearby Emancipation Park. The winds were so intense that the hotel staff swiftly moved all guests to a secure, windowless room for protection. This precaution lasted about an hour before the intensity gradually subsided as the hurricane moved further from the island. Although its worst impact bypassed my immediate location, the broader destruction across the island was still severe, with widespread loss of power, water, and communication services. The experience was unique and sobering, making me reflect on the potential catastrophe that could have unfolded had the hurricane made a direct hit.

Were you able to complete your focus groups and key informant interviews after returning to Seattle?