THE BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE MAY 2021
TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT
2,313 588
Current Activities
LIVES IMPACTED
Marsh Harbour
VOLUNTEERS
As our third cohort of DM12 volunteers enter their final week, we thank them greatly for their hard work and dedication. Despite enduring periods of quarantine due to COVID-19 preventative measures, they’ve remained positive and have made great progress on the work sites. At Every Child Counts School (ECC) the roof trusses are complete at the Convent, and the team has started installing interior walls and a large external deck, while interior doors are going in at Sochet Hall! The roofing team is in the process of installing metal roofing at Ernestine’s home and has started work on Monique’s home.
10,747
VOLUNTEER DAYS
211
JOBS COMPLETED
Dundas Town Since welcoming our second cohort of DM12 volunteers on April 12, the team has been full steam ahead! At Little Darlings Academy, they’ve been preparing for the grade beam concrete pour of building A and the slab concrete pour of building B, while the roofing team completed Davia and Bethlyn’s homes and has now split into groups to work on two sites simultaneously; supporting homeowners Faith and Sandra while waiting to receive the metal roof for Shawn. The team has also been delighted to have our videographer, Kenan, join them to put together a video about our Bahamas programs (to be shared next month).
Community Stories A huge thank you to James Kastner (pictured right), an Eagle Scout from New York who donated 11 boxes of sporting equipment for Every Child Counts School (ECC) and St. Francis School.
Photos: (top) decking being installed at the new Convent building, ECC, (left) AHAH’s roofing team installing the ridge cap on Davia’s new roof.
Learn about our programs at
allhandsandhearts.org
Disaster Profile In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm in The Bahamas with wind speeds in excess of 185 mph, lashing the Bahamian islands of Abaco (pop. ~17,200) and Grand Bahama (pop. ~51,000). Dorian’s traveling speed slowed to 1 mph over Grand Bahama, prolonging the island’s exposure to a life-threatening storm surge of 18-23 feet above normal tide levels. Over 76,000 people were affected, and 10,000 children were displaced from schools. Dorian is the strongest hurricane on record for The Bahamas and tied a record for the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall.
Our Work During the first six months, our focus was on response activities in some of the hardest-hit areas. After a six-month suspension of our volunteer operations due to COVID-19, our long-term recovery program is now targeting reconstruction of schools and other community infrastructure, including our resilient roof repair program. With immense support from our local and global partners, we are committed to continuing work in The Bahamas through the summer.
About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure. We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only seven percent of rated non-profits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency. Photos: (top) interior walls being installed at the new Convent building at ECC, (middle) AHAH roofing team at work, (bottom) Little Darlings Academy construction site.
Our Partners in The Bahamas
info@allhandsandhearts.org