“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy.”
-Prime Minister Minnis
Friends, you know The Bahamas has a special place in my heart. I worked on the PR team for the Ministry of Tourism from 2006-2010 and visited most of the islands during my tenure. Grand Bahama and Abaco are some of my favorites – we even got married in Treasure Cay! The islands are absolutely chock full of wonderful people.
You’ve seen the news from the past two days, and it’s only getting more dire as the days wear on. I have not seen any images or video from Green Turtle or Treasure Cay, and news is slow to come out of those settlements. I’m hopeful our friends will all be in touch today. (To search for missing friends and relatives on Grand Bahama and Abaco, start here and navigate to the specific settlement, i.e., Hope Town, Marsh Harbour.)
The rebuilding and recovery process will take years, and realistically the landscape of the islands will never be the same. These survivors need our help now so I beg you, whether you’ve been to Hope Town or New Plymouth or Gold Rock Beach or not, remember our neighbors generously.
How to Help The Bahamas After Hurricane Dorian
In the meantime, everyone is asking, “What can we do NOW to help The Bahamas?” I’ve seen a few dozen GoFundMe accounts set up already, but there’s no time to vet those individually. If you know a specific family there or organization — please donate to them! Since I know plenty of you don’t have on-island connections, so I’m including a handful of trusted organizations below and will update as I get more information.
CNN has reported that THE BAHAMAS ARE DESTROYED… but that’s not the case!
The Bahamas are a huge nation made of 700 islands spanning the distance from West Palm Beach down toward Cuba. The majority of islands are untouched by Hurricane Dorian.
One way you can help them recover – DON’T STOP VISITING the other islands this year! Nassau, Eleuthera, Exuma, Long Island, Andros, Cat Island, Bimini, Harbour Island and others are not only fine, they’re fabulous. Plan your next trip with confidence knowing that visiting The Bahamas will help so much!
Dorian Hurricane Relief Organizations
HeadKnowles
HeadKnowles took charge after Hurricane Joaquin in 2015 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, distributing millions in donations to islands in need. The money they receive goes directly to purchasing essential supplies and they will provide their donors with financial statements to account for every dollar donated. Donors will be able to see with all transparency that their money is being used to get Abaco and Grand Bahama up and running again.
Click here for more info on HeadKnowles.
Lend a Hand Bahamas
A registered nonprofit affiliated with a U.S. charity called Fishing for Families in Need.
Click here for more info on Lend a Hand Bahamas.
Long Island Bahamas Pays It Forward
Long Island was battered by Hurricane Joaquin in 2015, so they have not forgotten how important it is to receive the right kind of aid fast. This is a GoFundMe I trust run by people I’ve met. You can send cash donations or purchase items from their Amazon list that will be bundled and brought over from the US.
Click here for more info on Long Island’s GoFundMe.
Hope Force International
Hope Force International swooped in after my parents’ house (and really, the whole town) flooded in Hurricane Irma and went to work. Without them, I don’t know where we’d be. An excellent place to send donations!
Click here for more info on Hope Force International’s efforts in The Bahamas.
Where to Donate to the Bahamas in Florida
Floridians, listen up – you will be able to bring supplies and donations to various drop off points around the state for either boat or air transport to the islands. Here’s a list – keep checking back, because I’ll update as I get more info!
***Please remember: Not all well-intended donations are needed or useful, so take a look at this list of things that good-hearted folks often send to disaster areas and take note.
List of items needed:
- Building Supplies (roofing materials, shingles, tar paper, drip caps, nails, plywood, lumber, etc.)
- Plastic Sheeting Rolls/Tarpaulin (various sizes)
- Sheet rock
- Water
- Canned goods
- Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s)
- Hygiene Kits
- Monetary donations
- First Aid Kits
- Plastic Trash Bags
- Mosquito repellent
- Bleach
- Chlorine tablets
- Non-perishable dry goods
- Clean up supplies (mop, bucket, towels)
- Water Containers
- Chain Saws
- Generators
- Mattresses (single or double)
- Pillows
- Sheet sets
- Household cleaning kits
- Pampers, Baby wipes
- Baby juice
- Baby food
- Cereal
- Lysol
- Disinfectant
- Flashlights
All City of Miami fire stations, Greater St. Paul AME Coconut Grove & Christ Episcopal Church Coconut Grove are accepting donations.
Lifestyle Miami will be collecting water, canned goods, first aid kits and other relief items at 3 locations:
- Lifestyle Miami Offices – 5161 N.W. 79 Avenue, Doral
- Oasis Solutions – 6001 N.W. 153 Street, Miami Lakes
- Molinas Ranch – 4090 E. 6 Avenue, Hialeah
JACKSONVILLE
Drop off supplies at Hope’s Closet Thrift on San Pablo between 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday. Donations will go to Adventures in God’s Creation.
14286 Beach Blvd #44
Jacksonville, FL 32250
You can also drop off supplies at the Katherine Way warehouse until Thurs., Sept. 12:
11653 Central Parkway, Suite 208, Jacksonville, FL 32224
FORT LAUDERDALE
Sheltair Aviation
1100 SW 41st Ct
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315
Tropix Shipping
5610 NW 12th Avenue, Suite 203
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
We’ll be updating as soon as we have more info! Please share questions or additional resources you know about in the comments and please, please be generous to our Bahamian neighbors!
