How You Can Help the Bahamians

A young girl in a poor Grand Bahama community surveys Dorian’s devastation from her family’s damaged house. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

How You Can Help Bahamians Affected by Hurricane Dorian

By Amanda Diedrick

On September 1, 2019, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever to make landfall in The Bahamas took direct aim at the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. After slamming into Elbow Cay, Hurricane Dorian churned across the Sea of Abaco to Marsh Harbour, demolishing entire neighborhoods and submerging Abaco’s economic hub beneath more than 10 feet of storm surge.

Lumbering north, the killer storm devastated Man-OWar Cay, Guana Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Treasure Cay and Coopers Town, before turning west and stalling over eastern Grand Bahama, submerging more than half of the island in up to 20 feet of water.

Thousands were forced to flee as their homes and businesses disintegrated around them. Many had to swim for their lives, with children and the elderly in tow. Families clung to trees, watching helpless and horrified as loved ones were swept out to sea.

It was the worst natural disaster in Bahamian history. Seventy people were confirmed dead, with nearly 300 still listed as missing. And more than 70,000 were left without shelter, food or other necessities.

Six months later, for many, the recovery is still just beginning. Those who were forced to evacuate want to return to their communities to begin rebuilding their lives. But they have nowhere to live, work or send their kids to school. Some of those who stayed behind still live in tents, having endured what has been an exceptionally windy and rainy fall and winter.

Of the houses that remain standing, many are riddled with mold.

“Mold is a big worry,” says Marsh Harbour resident, Melinda Pinder, who lost both her home and flower shop to Hurricane Dorian. “People are concerned about becoming sick long term, but some have no other choice.”

Marsh Harbour’s Kristen Pearce sums up the challenge faced by many.

Dorian evacuees in Grand Bahama in a flooded Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) tent. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

“Lots of people have repairs to make,” she says. “But there are no supplies, no money to buy supplies, and no one to do the work for them.”

Throughout the northern Bahamas, there still remains enormous need. Here’s how you can help:

Donate materials: Though many of her family and friends decided to leave Abaco in Dorian’s wake, Pinder chose to stay.

“For me, living in the heart of Marsh Harbour, life since Dorian has been very challenging,” she says. “But I love my people and I decided to stay to help those who had to leave because of health or kids in school.”

Without electricity or running water, many Abaconians and Grand Bahamians still rely on local and international non-government organizations for food, clothing and other necessities.

The materials they need to rebuild their homes, businesses and communities are in short supply. “It’s very difficult to get plywood, or ice and water shield,” says Pinder. “Many homes have been gutted but not secured.”

The Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation has assembled a list of the supplies in greatest demand in the northern Bahamas – items such as generators, construction materials, tools, flooring, lights and fans. To view the full list, visit: www.gbdisasterrelief.org/rebuild.

Medical equipment such as digital X-ray machines, blood pressure and blood sugar monitors, defibrillators and basic clinic supplies are also in demand, Lia Head-Rigby of TheHead.org has stated. There’s also a need for beds, particularly for older Bahamians affected by Dorian.

“It’s time we move them off the floor,” she says. “No more air mattresses or sleeping bags in tents. We need to protect our elderly. This has been a nightmare for them.”

If you’d like to donate any of these items, they can be delivered to the following collection centers:

Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation c/o Tropical Shipping Riviera Beach Terminal 1489 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Riviera Beach, Florida 33404 Phone: (561) 881-3999

Abaco Relief c/o Abaco Freight 10130 North Lake Blvd. Suite 214–192 West Palm Beach, Florida 33412 Phone (561) 502-2632

Crossroads Alliance c/o Drift Freediving 2424 N. Federal Hwy Lighthouse Point, Florida

Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) National Aid Warehouse 1148 NW 72nd Street Miami, FL 33150

Surveying the debris along the waterfront in Marsh Harbour. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

Contribute funds: Needs evolve quickly in disaster zones, and they often vary significantly between communities.

Your cash contribution will enable those on the ground to respond to rapidly changing needs and to purchase items such as fuel for generators and vehicles. It allows them to transport donations already received, and to support the area’s economy by hiring and buying locally whenever possible. Some relief agencies have also negotiated discounts with retailers, meaning a dollar donated to them may buy more than a dollar you spend yourself.

Aid organizations currently on the ground in the northern Bahamas that would be grateful for your financial support include: • All Hands and Hearts (allhandsandhearts.org) • CORE Construction (coreconstruction.com/ disaster-recovery) • Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness (baarkbahamas.com) • Good Samaritan Shipping Ministries (gssmi.org) • Humanitarian Aid and Rescue Project (harprescue.org) • HeadKnowles Foundation

(headknowlesfoundation.org) • Samaritan’s Purse (samaritanspurse.org) • SOL Relief (solrelief.org) • TheHead.org • Water Mission (watermission.org) • World Central Kitchen (wck.org) A number of groups have been established to raise funds for and otherwise assist individual communities, including: • Grand Bahama Disaster Relief (gbdisasterrelief.org) • Great Guana Cay Foundation (greatguanacayabacos.com) • Green Turtle Cay Foundation - visit their Facebook page or call (352) 787-1241 • Hope Town United (hopetownunited.org) • Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue (htvfr.org) • Key West Cares (keywestcares.com) • Man O War Relief Fund (mowrelief.com) • Treasure Cay Community

(treasurecaycommunity.com)

By far, one of the greatest obstacles to getting aid into the northern Bahamas is transportation.

“The freight boats that bring supplies over from Nassau and Florida are backed up,” says Melinda Pinder. “Even if people can afford materials, it’s very difficult to get them here.” As a result, perishable relief items are reaching their expiry dates before they even arrive.

West Palm Beach’s Abaco Freight has been doing their best to assist, transporting tons of relief supplies at their own expense to areas affected by Hurricane Dorian. Company owner Kimber Mazzeo would like to send more, but shipping costs are a major challenge. To contribute towards transportation costs, contact Mazzeo at kimber@abacofreightllc.com or (561) 502-2632.

Most of the restaurants and businesses along Marsh Harbour’s waterfront were destroyed by the storm. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

Volunteer your time and skills: It’s a classic catch-22. Many Dorian victims want desperately to return home but can’t, because there’s nowhere to live or work. Yet, without their manpower, it’s virtually impossible to rebuild the homes, businesses and schools they need.

“Many are on long waiting lists with the various aid organizations,” says Pearce, “but it takes time, and they can only do so many projects at once.”

Volunteer labour is needed throughout the region to assist with construction, roofing, mold abatement, drywall removal and installation, debris removal, cooking and serving food and more. Sailors and cruisers are especially welcome, since they come with their own housing and facilities.

To lend a hand, contact: • Abaco Disaster Relief (abacodisasterrelief.org) • Abaco Hands and Feet and RISE Academy (Marsh Harbour) - call or Whatsapp (242) 577-0026 • All Hands and Hearts (allhandsandhearts.org) • Grand Bahama Disaster Relief (gbdisasterrelief.org) • Great Guana Cay Foundation – email info@greatguanacayabacos.com • Green Turtle Cay Foundation - email donandgiselle@hotmail.com • Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue (htvfr.org) • Humanitarian Aid and Rescue Project (harprescue.org) • Key West Cares (keywestcares.com) • The Lillie Renee Foundation (lilliereneefoundation.com)

Cruising & Sailing Florida, The Southeast & The Bahamas • Man-O-War Relief – email michaelalbury@gmail.com • Samaritan’s Purse (samaritanspurse.org) • North Abaco Rebuilding Initiative (treasurecaycommunity.com)

If you come: If you’re planning to come to the northern Bahamas to help, here are some things you’ll need to know. • The western end of Grand Bahama was relatively unaffected by Dorian. Foreign vessels can clear immigration and customs at West End as normal. In Abaco, vessels are asked to clear at the port in Coopers Town. • A number of marinas/fuel docks are open, including the Abaco Yacht Club at Winding Bay, Boat Harbour Marina in Marsh Harbour, the Green Turtle Club Marina, Orchid Bay Marina (Guana Cay), Spanish Cay Resort and the Treasure Cay Resort Marina on Abaco, and the Grand Bahama Yacht Club Marina, Flamingo Bay Marina, Port Lucaya Marina, Ocean Reef & Marina, Old Bahama Bay Marina and Sunrise Yacht Club Marina on Grand Bahama. • Water, ice and basic groceries can be purchased in many areas, and some command centers offer free meals to volunteers. Still, to avoid straining local resources, bring as many provisions as you can. • Most communities have hospitals, clinics or mobile

health facilities in operation, so medical care is available. • If you’ve got extra space on your vessel, check with the

A tattered Bahamian flag flies over a damaged home in Abaco, Bahamas. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

What remains of a shantytown in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

command center nearest to your destination to ask what you might be able to transport over for them.

Even today, finding food, shelter and other necessities are still difficult for some Abaconians and Grand Bahamians. Generator fuel is expensive. Clean drinking water can be hard to find. Entire families are separated, scattered throughout the Bahamas and the southern U.S. Posttraumatic stress disorder is common. Some, having lost everything, struggle to see a path forward. Yet, among affected Bahamians, there is deep gratitude; gratitude that more lives weren’t lost, that some homes survived, and that so many have reached out to donate funds or supplies, or showed up delivered aid, and helped to muck out buildings, serve meals or shingle rooves. In the months and years ahead, much more assistance will be needed throughout the northern Bahamas. If you can lend a hand as these folks attempt to rebuild their lives and communities, please do.

And finally, remember that resorts and attractions in western Grand Bahama and southern Abaco – regions which were spared much of Dorian’s wrath – are open and ready to welcome you.

Tourist dollars are needed and appreciated here now more than ever, so why not plan a holiday and support your Bahamian friends at the same time? To learn more, visit GrandBahamaVacations.com or Bahamas.com/Abacos –and tell your friends.

Amanda Diedrick is the author of “Those Who Stayed: The Tale of the Hardy Few Who Built Green Turtle Cay”, and a blogger at LittleHousebytheFerry.com. Her articles and photographs have appeared in the Nassau Tribune, the Abaconian and Abaco Life. A ninth-generation Bahamian, she counts Loyalist Wyannie Malone and pirate Matthew Lowe among her ancestors.

One of the hundreds of Abaco homes destroyed by Hurricane Dorian. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

A local man salvages whatever he can from hurricane debris in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. (Photo: Cristy Nielsen)

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