Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas
On September 1st, category 5 Hurricane Dorian devastated the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahamas.
Most of the people were evacuated from the affected islands, and are staying in government supported shelters, with friends and host families, or in hotels in Nassau. In total, 1,889 people evacuated the and there is no imminent prospect of these families returning to the Abaco islands because the infrastructure is so severely damaged. The immediate priorities for these families are food, water and healthcare.
Due to the fact that there is a lot of debris and hazardous waste, no electricity and difficulty accessing clean water, these families may not be able to return to their home sites for a long time. The Government has also declared a number of affected areas as ‘no build zones’ so they can keep focused on search and rescue and clearance.
Some locally based agencies already had aid in The Bahamas which they were able to access and distribute quickly. It remains unclear if people will be able to use that aid given that they are not able to return to their communities and are already in temporary accommodation.
ShelterBox’s Response
ShelterBox response teams have been in The Bahamas since September 6th working closely with local and international humanitarian organizations, the government, Rotary and the private sector.
Our teams have conducted exhaustive research and assessments, in person, both independently and alongside International Organization for Migration and the Red Cross. Our team met with Immediate Rotary International Immediate Past President Barry Rassin and worked with him througout the assessment process. The teams visited the Abaco Islands in order to understand the needs of people who might require our support.
Given the fact that families have been evacuated and have temporary shelter and will not be able to return to the affected islands for a long time, our teams have determined there is not currently a need for ShelterBox aid at this time.
Therefore, our team will be leaving The Bahamas this week, but will stay in close contact with Rotary, the Government and other organizations. We are ready to return should the situation change and if we can play a role in future plans as the recovery process continues.
At ShelterBox we always strive to do the right thing to help families and to be responsible to donors. We are focused on providing emergency shelter that gives families the ability to recover.
Thank you for sharing this update with your fellow ShelterBox supporters.