Photo by John Middelkoop on Unsplash
The situation is tough in Bahamas. People speak of a humanitarian crisis. 80% of people lost their homes during the whirl of hurricane Dorian starting August this year. The hurricane was a Category 5 storm and the strongest that ever hit the Bahamas islands. It mostly affected the Abaco islands.
Yet, people immediately started to get help from outside. Civilians and businesses jumped in to support, each according to their expertise and means. MobileRecharge.com included. The top up service is offering 50% OFF for all mobile top ups to Bahamas this September.
Others bring aid from Florida, others from Canada, and local groups and individuals become heroes for their fellows in the process the press calls Hurricane Dorian Recovery.
World Central Kitchen and more than 2,000 meals
Source: https://wck.org/news/hurricane-dorian-update
According to the philanthropist and chef José from World Central Kitchen, 200,000th meals have been served in Bahamas so far. And they keep cooking… They also accept donations to support their ongoing effort.
American Britne White helps her neighbours with shelter and supplies
Others like Britne White have been able to assist with the rescue operation too. She generally visits Abaco several times a year. This time, with a clearer purpose. Thanks to a friend’s private plane, she managed to deliver medicine, tarps, food, clothing and other supplies that she had collected from St. Augustine, her hometown in Florida.
I’m a competitive sailor and I go a couple times a year to Abaco. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the people there, and when this happened I knew right away that I had to do something. (B. White, This is how Americans are helping Hurricane Dorian survivors from afar, NBC NEW
She also decided to open her three extra bedrooms to evacuees. Since she posted her offer in a Facebook group, she has received over 50 requests for shelter.
Locals help, better than the government?
Photo by Dorothy Riley on Unsplash
During the storm and then after, Facebook and Instagram were the rescue channels. When hurricane Dorian passed over the 17,000 people island of Abaco, “residents posted images of their countrymen using small boats and Jet Skis to rescue neighbors.” (How Social Media is Helping Survivors of Hurricane Dorian in Bahamas, The New Yorker, September 11, 2019)
In reality, there were more rescues carried out by the Bahamian locals than by the government’s officials.
Bahamians living abroad are on time
As residents in Bahamas continued to use social media to post from the islands, Bahamian expatriates were using social media to ask about their friends and family affected by hurricane Dorian. Like Mykah Smith, a twenty-five-year-old Bahamian yogini with 5,600+ Instagram followers, who called for donations for hurricane Dorian survivors.
Appeals for water and supplies surfaced the internet. The same way happened with the locations of the Bahamian consulates in all major cities throughout the United States.
MobileRecharge.com also announced 50% OFF any mobile top up amount expats send back home in Bahamas. The aid is available between September 16-30, 2019, via the website or MobileRecharge app.
MobileRecharge.com or MobileRecharge app
Foreign organizations collect online donations
Here’s one example… Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian international organization from Canada opened a donation call for anyone in Canada or elsewhere in the world. There’s no minimum limit. You can donate as much as $1.
Source: https://www.samaritanspurse.ca/single-donation/hurricane-dorian-response/
Where do the money go?
- 90% to the Ministry
- 6% to the General Administration
- 4% Donor Education & Fundraising
As the organization states on the website, MoneySense magazine has identified “Samaritan’s Purse as one of Canada’s most cost-effective charities”.
Vehicles from Skydive Suffolk for Hurricane Dorian survivors
The organisation is dropping off supplies, but also vehicles to support hurricane Dorian survivors recover. Their aid is especially important to get to regions unreachable by car. Plus supplies like generators, fuel, and other goods.
Government opens helplines for cash, not bean cans
Photo by Gregory Culmer on Unsplash
Officials made it official. Post Hurricane Dorian reality requires cash to rebuild and telephone poles instead of bean cans. Here’s more info directly from the article in NPR.org.
The Bahamas’ government is sharing a wish list of materials to help the country provide food and shelter for residents who are still reeling from Hurricane Dorian. Officials say they need lots of help and supplies — but they also want targeted donations.
“Officials here for instance don’t want to be inundated with cans of green beans when what they really need is telephone poles,” NPR’s Jason Beaubien reports from the capital city, Nassau.
They’re facing a relief and reconstruction job that’s likely to go on for years.
“Cash is king. For us to rebuild these communities, we need funds,” Barry Rassin, former president of Rotary International, tells Beaubien.
Angels of Hope. Boxes and more boxes…
Kelly and David Long of the Angels of Hope charity in Fort Pierce collect supplies for hurricane Dorian survivors.
Find them on Facebook.
What you can do to help hurricane Dorian survivors
- Make a donation with one of the international organisations that make an online form available or the Government directly, on their website page. Check videos above.
- Send a mobile top up (50% discounted) to people you know to help with local communication.
