Skip to content

Find our latest news, stories and press releases

Delivering long-term value for our stakeholders

Explore career opportunities and more

Impacting health for humanity

  1. Home/
  2. News/
  3. Caring & giving/
  4. Disaster modules: How a single kit has the potential to help save lives around the world
A photo of the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey
Disaster modules help provide relief during times of crisis

Disaster modules: How a single kit has the potential to help save lives around the world

Earthquakes, typhoons, floods. Natural disasters can strike at any moment, devastating communities and healthcare systems—which is why Johnson & Johnson has disaster relief modules at the ready.

Disaster modules help provide relief during times of crisis

In the late 1800s, Johnson & Johnson made history by producing the first-ever commercial first aid kits , packed with items like cotton, bandages and adhesive plaster.

But there’s another, lesser-known kit the company makes that has also helped countless people around the world: disaster modules.

Whether a region has been devastated by floods or impacted by an earthquake , Johnson & Johnson has modules packed and ready to ship to help support medical teams and aid organizations on the ground in the immediate aftermath of a large-scale disaster.

Each disaster module is designed to serve a community of 50,000 and is tailored to specific needs. For example, to help support response efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the company donated one module, as well as 25,000 hygiene kits stocked with over-the-counter products. Following Cyclone Winston in Fiji, the company dispatched modules packed with such first aid products as gauze and BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages . When Ecuador was devastated by an earthquake in 2016, modules were sent containing medications to help fight infections and surgical products, like sutures .

“Johnson & Johnson began providing disaster relief as early as 1900 to support victims of the devastating hurricane in Galveston, Texas,” says Kimberlin Keller, Senior Manager for Global Community Impact at Johnson & Johnson. “Today, we build on that legacy by ensuring that our disaster kits can get to the scene quickly, anywhere in the world, with help from our aid partners—Americares , Heart to Heart International and Direct Relief .”

We rounded up a sampling of items that commonly appear in disaster modules to show how something as simple as cotton tape can make a world of difference around the world.


An Easy Way to Aid Hurricane Harvey Relief

Simply take a photo, and Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to Heart to Heart International to get hygiene items to Texans in need.

More from Johnson & Johnson

How Johnson & Johnson is advancing the fight against Alzheimer’s disease

After decades of commitment to understanding this neurodegenerative disease, company scientists have developed innovative therapies and tools that can potentially slow its progression and ease the psychological toll on patients and caretakers. A cure is still elusive—but preventing the disease may be within reach.

Is this the end of one-size-fits-all treatments for depression?

Learn how Johnson & Johnson is working to better address the needs of the 7 in 10 people with depression whose treatments aren’t providing enough relief.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury or infection. But when it lingers, inflammation can lead to inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, among other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Learn how Johnson & Johnson is innovating to help bring relief to those living with chronic inflammatory conditions.