THE BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE APRIL 2022
TOTAL IMPACT Current Activities TOTAL IMPACT We’re in the final month of this program and the team has really extended to complete the last few homes in the work queue. We’re finishing the LAUR themselves final touches on the interior of Rochelle B.'s home and installing the kitchen 720 and sinks. Our homeowners are excited to see the amazing work that has A/DEL counters VOLUNTEERS been done and are looking forward to finally moving home. 2,467 LIVES IMPACTED TA VOLUNTEERS A small team remains on the island and continues to provide long-term recovery
15,018
VOLUNTEER DAYS VOLUNTEER DAYS
2,574
JOBS COMPLETED LIVES IMPACTED
SCHOOLmucking IN PROGRESS Photos: (Top) Volunteers and gutting a home; (Left) Tree CASES COMPLETED removal
287
support while they ramp down the program. A key aspect of this long-term support, above the roofing and home repairs, is the provision of maintenance manuals. These manuals provide a detailed guide customized to each homeowner for preventative maintenance that will ensure its longevity. It’s a bitter-sweet moment as we close The Bahamas Hurricane Dorian Relief Program after over two years of working on Great Abaco. We are grateful to the community, our generous partners, volunteers, and staff who have dedicated their time, funds and resources to this community.
Stories from the Ground Our dedicated Community Coordinator, Lakesha, has brought a beautiful energy to this program. She continuously looks for ways to connect our All Hands and Hearts teams with her Abaco community. She has done an excellent job of enriching the lives of international staff and volunteers and the local community.
“The people I have worked with are beyond amazing as they are focused, determined and actual leaders, who always make time to teach or explain something. It felt purposeful to be a part of this team. I learnt that communication and planning with a bit of fun makes life slightly better which still gets the task completed.”
allhandsandhearts.org
Photos: (Top) Volunteer and staff member in Dundas Town; (Left) Staff member presenting the custom maintenance manual to homeowner
Disaster Profile
Before
After
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
Photos: Progress of interior repairs on the bathroom of Rochelle B.’s home
We have been supporting the communities of Great Abaco since Hurricane Dorian devastated the island in 2019. In addition to clearing hurricane wreckage and putting roofs on homes, we have reconstructed eight school campuses culminating with the completion of Little Darlings Academy in the summer of 2021. One thousand three hundred students have been provided with safe, disaster-resilient and engaging places to learn and thrive. The immense support from The TK Foundation this fall has enabled us to remain in the community, where we are now intensifying our focus on the lagging housing recovery. Our decision was two-fold: 1) schools have been greatly supported by the government and non-government organizations, whereas home recovery had been neglected, and 2) Bahamian government funds have been depleted and the cost of home repairs is not commensurate with local salary. For more than two years, many homeowners have not been able to return home.
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.
Our Partners in The Bahamas
We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the eighth year in a row. This year only six percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.
info@allhandsandhearts.org