Hurricane Dorian Relief and Recovery Fund

On Abaco, Grand Bahama Island, and other out islands, many people still haven’t returned home and regained their livelihoods, four months after Hurricane Dorian. I had the opportunity to speak with some of them—and learn more about how your donations are being put to work—on a weeklong trip to Nassau, Abaco, and Grand Bahama in January. Here are three observations I’d like to share with you:

1. The people of The Bahamas are truly awesome. And resilient.  

There’s a lot of talk about resilience these days. And resilience comes in many forms. One form is embodied in a couple of the folks I met during my time on Abaco and Grand Bahama.  

As I drove up to a “muck and gut” site, Pleasant, who has recently returned to Abaco from Nassau, sat and watched the contents of her home be piled up in her front yard. Furniture, clothing, kitchen products, and photographs. All had been ruined by the storm surge that reached double-digit depth. Pleasant lost her husband of 36 years when he was swept away. She never recovered his body. But as I sat and heard her stories of the storm, she sat right up in her observation perch and smiled,  assuring us that she was never leaving Abaco. She would “do whatever I need to do” to get her family resituated on this cul de sac by the sea. 

In preparation for Hurricane Dorian, Neville, a resident of Grand Bahama Island, took his disabled wife, Blossom, from their home along the ocean in High Rock to higher ground in Freeport. For hours, as the water rose to shoulder height in the shelter, he couldn’t locate her and feared that he had lost her. Yet someone had brought his wife to safety on the second floor. A man of unfailing faith, he is repairing his home, caring for Blossom in a borrowed house, and continuing to be a “loyal and humble servant.”

2. The international nonprofit community is critical to recovery.  

International organizations that work closely with local community leaders are critically important in the first phases of disaster recovery.

I had the chance to visit with several of these organizations, which have been long-time GlobalGiving partners. As always, they are doing amazing work.

• International Medical Corps established a temporary clinic in High Rock on Grand Bahama to replace the one destroyed by Dorian. I visited with Dr. Dennis, the local doctor in charge of the clinic. He is hopeful that a permanent clinic will be constructed in the coming months.
• All Hands & Hearts is working to repair the only school on Abaco that serves kids who are differently-abled,  managing a dozen home cleanups/repairs and volunteers supporting other nonprofits.
• World Central Kitchen is still providing thousands of meals a day, all delivered by local community members who now have a source of income as well.

3. There is a significant need for increased social sector capacity in the eastern Caribbean. 

Unlike on other Caribbean islands, and in many places around the globe, there is no local community foundation or similar “anchor” organization for the nonprofit sector. But Bahamian nonprofits—which help amplify the voices of the people they serve—are critical to ongoing recovery efforts. There is a clear need for more leadership engagement and governance structures on the islands.  This will help the Bahamian social sector take on a stronger, more powerful role in long-term recovery and resilience building. 

In the coming months, we will be using some of the contributions you made to assist with this capacity building. A pending grant, for example, will support the convening led by the Organization for Responsible Governance, a Bahamian nonprofit which seeks to “empower civil society and the people to take a greater stake in the governance of the country through generating dialogue and education.”

It is a privilege to lead the GlobalGiving team responsible for stewarding your funds. I hope this update gives you a sense of our work. 

Pleasant and Neville are just two of the inspiring Bahamians I had the chance to meet during my trip. I can’t wait to return to see their homes restored completely. Pleasant promises a true Bahamian meal. I’ll be there.

With sincere gratitude,

Donna Callejon + the GlobalGiving Team

We recently caught up with Lucas Metropulos, founder of Lend a Hand Bahamas and Marine Education Initiative, formerly known as Fishing for Families in Need, our partners working on relief and recovery after Hurricane Dorian.  Here’s what he shared:

Q. What do you wish more people knew about how your community was impacted by this storm?

The devastation of Hurricane Dorian quickly dominated the news cycle around the world. Bahamian nonprofits and other NGOs began receiving thousands of gifts to support relief efforts; however, the Bahamas relief effort is slowly moving to the background. There is still a need for immediate relief items, but also longer term needs that will plague the Bahamas—primarily the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco—for years to come. It is my hope that supporters from abroad will continue to contribute to relief and rebuild efforts.  

I also would like to stress and encourage everyone to still be traveling to the Bahamas. Many individuals have canceled their plans to go to Nassau and other islands thinking that all of islands of the Bahamas were impacted by this storm, while it was predominantly only two islands. One of the best ways people can support the Bahamas right now is to take a trip to Nassau, Exuma, Bimini, Eleuthera, and other unaffected beautiful islands. 

Q. What makes you most proud about how Lend a Hand Bahamas and other local organizations are responding to Hurricane Dorian?

As a Bahamian nonprofit organization committed to community development in the Bahamas, we were working here before Hurricane Dorian and will be here long after. This has been our first time on a larger scale assisting with hurricane relief, and we have been working tirelessly to ensure that our support is transparent and reaches those who need it most as quickly as possible. There are many Bahamian organizations that have come forward in the wake of this disaster whether it was their expertise or not. These organizations have risen to the occasion and worked together to increase impact in affected areas and to support evacuees. I am especially proud of our team for their thoughtful approach and willingness to adapt our efforts. I have personally witnessed the impact our efforts have had on evacuees families in Nassau and in Grand Bahama and Abaco. 

Q. What are the greatest unmet, longer-term needs in your community?

We’ve received large deliveries of food and immediate relief supplies, but there is still a need for these items as the rebuilding and recovery process will long-term. Debris removal and building materials are of high necessity right now as well. In addition, there continues to be a strong need for mental health professionals, and opportunities for victims to receive counseling due to this immense trauma. Our organization, Lend a Hand Bahamas, is also taking a deeper focus on the need to enhance and sustain educational opportunities for children displaced as a result of the hurricane. We are encouraging donors to support our educational after-school programs for evacuee children launching soon in Nassau and larger educational initiatives to help support the influx of evacuee children in Nassau. 

Q. The storm put many folks in incredibly tough situations. What keeps you hopeful?

This is not the first devastating hurricane to make landfall in the Bahamas, but it has certainly been the strongest. The destruction is truly immense in Grand Bahama and Abaco. Thousands have been displaced, careers extinguished, lives lost, and the environment damaged. We have seen instance after instance of Bahamians coming together to offer relief and support. Bahamians are a resilient people who value community, and when one or two of their family islands are impacted, the whole of the islands come together to support each other. I have personally witnessed this over the past 12+ years of being involved in the Bahamas. Many of the families we have supported have a very positive attitude and are returning home to rebuild and work together to improve their situations. They are extremely thankful to others for support and are committed to not letting the devastation of Hurricane Dorian change their positive attitudes and desire to push on.