Hurricane Dorian Relief: How To Help Bahamas After Hurricane Destruction

Hurricane Dorian that hit the Bahamas on Sunday devastated the island pushing thousands of people into poverty and without homes.

Now appeals of help to the ravaged residents in terms of food and other basic needs have been issued by the UN and other organizations.

“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy,” said the Bahamian prime minister, Hubert Minnis who summed up the devastation as “unprecedented and extensive.”

According to reports, thousands of residents at Grand Bahama and Abaco islands are without shelter and battling floodwaters.

Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island for two days. The contagious winds, torrential rains, and relentless flooding wipe out more than 10,000 homes destroyed the infrastructure.

Appeals for international help have intensified.

In a joint appeal, the United Nations, the US state department and the US embassy in Nassau urged the international community for quick assistance to address the shortage of food, water, and medicines faced by Bahamas residents and mitigate their fast deteriorating conditions there.

Preliminary help from voluntary organizations

Some of the organizations have already stepped in with their support with the hope that more relief will reach the affected Bahamas regions hit by the Atlantic hurricane season.

Red Cross: The Red Cross has deployed 200 volunteers in the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama.

According to Stephen McAndrew, the deputy director for the Americas of the International Federation of Red Cross, right now the Bahamas needs shelter, food, water, medicine and communication systems urgently.

“We know that there will be a need for psychological support. That will continue,” he added.

Global Giving: Global Giving has set up a Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund to deliver emergency supplies and long-term assistance in rebuilding.

World Central Kitchen: A team of World Central Kitchen led by chef José Andrés arrived in Nassau and are identifying places to set up community kitchens on the affected islands.

Yacht Aid Global: Yacht Aid Global has galvanized “Operation Topaz” to deliver emergency supplies like food, tarps, hygiene kits and medicine to the affected Islands. It works with yachts to coordinate support.

Team Rubicon: Team Rubicon led by military veterans provides disaster relief and it has sent a team to the Bahamas.

World Vision: World Vision has a bigger focus on pre-positioning to dispatch emergency relief supplies quickly when a hurricane and other disasters strike.

Before Hurricane Dorian struck, it shipped truckloads of relief supplies to partner organizations in Daytona Beach and Immokalee for distribution in affected areas.

Save The Children: The non-profit works with local organizations to reopen childcare and education programs in areas hit by Hurricane Dorian. It provided relief to more than 25,000 children and adults after Hurricane Michael in 2018.

Meanwhile, hurricane news added that an aerial view conducted over Abaco and Grand Bahama islands on Tuesday showed many places were looking as if life has been erased.

“It’s total devastation. Apocalyptic. It looks like a bomb went off,” commented Lia Head-Rigby who runs a local hurricane relief organization.