Please prayerfully consider where to send your assistance to help these people. I strongly recommend that you do not send it to Red Cross or United Way. I have heard to many stories from past Hurricanes. Find the place you feel comfortable and send what you can. It could be you next time! We are all in this together. Reach out and lend a helping hand in any way that you can. If you can’t do anything else… share this post, or any of the others like it.
BELOW you will find a list of possible places to send assistance, monetary or physical goods. Or, check around for yourself. Maybe there is someone in your local area that will be bringing aid to the Bahamas. They are going to need it for a very long time.
Ya, in this video you will hear them say they have a “blank canvas” to build the Abaco they want to see in 5 years. Do you for one minute believe they are talking about rebuilding the homes and lives of all those poor people who were living there before the storm… dream on folks. This is another land grab by the elites. Like they state… it is much easier to rebuild once it is demolished.
One month after Hurricane Dorian, we speak to Charmaine Albury from Man-O-War Cay, she goes into great detail about how they survived hurricane Dorian, and now how they are working to rebuild their little island. *Photos and Videos courtesy of Rich Roberts of Man-o-war, you can find him on Facebook. Any funds donated to our gofundme link below, will be used for Relief Supplies only, The Church supplies are being paid for by my local Church directly. Our Bahamian Relief Gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Black-Diam… The Bahamas http://www.sailboatcruise.ca/bahamas-… Up to the minute, Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/BlackDiamond…
Update 10/17/19
Please keep the people of the North Side of the Bahamas in your prayers. While the rest of the Bahamas prepare to return to entertaining the rich and powerful, the people of Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, a series of islands east of Grand Bahama that includes the large island of Great Abaco, the smaller Little Abaco and a line of small cays to the east of it are still trying to pull together whatever is left of their families, and their lives. Homeless, hungry, without hope. No way to return to their livelihoods and no way to rebuild their homes. So many of them have family members they cannot find, or that have been separated from them. They need food, clothing, shelter, water, and so much more. Please don’t send your money to the United Way or Red Cross, don’t send it to Goverment agencies or Fund Raising Concerts. The people who need it will NEVER SEE IT! Find a local group that is planning or willing to go and deliver the aid in person. More than anything PRAY! Only God can intervene and make the changes needed.
One of the worst affected areas after Hurricane Dorian is Abaco Island – where thousands of residents are homeless and still waiting for help days after the storm.
Hurricane Dorian caused mass destruction in the Bahamas, and at least 50 people have already been found dead. Here’s the story of the rescue teams efforts to find the remaining bodies. » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews
A half dozen Kalik Lights, one of the island nation’s best known beers, sit with a background of a beached boat and other destruction wrought by Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco. Bahamians hope tourists keep coming to the central and southern islands despite the devastation of the northern islands. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty)
As Bahamians in Freeport and the Abacos look to rebuild, many outside the island nation are wondering what’s left.
The storm largely affected only the northern Bahamas, which includes Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, a series of islands east of Grand Bahama that includes the large island of Great Abaco, the smaller Little Abaco and a line of small cays to the east of it, which were the first islands to experience the wrath of Hurricane Dorian. The cays are far enough removed from the rest of the world that some residents there refer to Great Abaco as “the mainland.”
South of that, in Nassau, Andros, the Exumas, Eleuthera and further out, in southeastern islands such as Cat Island and Long Island, the Bahamas weathered the storm largely intact, and most of the island nation never experienced tropical storm force winds.
But for the northern islands, several days after Dorian has passed by, the extent of the destruction has become clearer, and especially in the Abacos, there is little remaining.
The islands in the Bahamas that were impacted by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. (Google Maps; NOAA)
The Abaco Cays
The most prominent of the cays that make up the eastern edge of the Abaco Islands is Elbow Cay, featuring the village of Hope Town, with its 89-foot-tall Elbow Reef Lighthouse, one of only two manually operated, kerosene-fueled lighthouses left in the world, according to the Bahamas government.
Hope Town in happier times, with the Elbow Reef Lighthouse at center. The lighthouse is one of just two manually operated, kerosene-fueled lighthouses left in the world, according to the Bahamas government. The village, and the rest of Elbow Cay, was devastated by Hurricane Dorian. (Courtesy of Ken Warner)
In this Wednesday photo, extensive damage from Hurricane Dorian can be seen over the Elbow Reef Lighthouse in Hope Town on Elbow Cay. (Andrew West/AP)
As in the nearby cays of Green Turtle and Man-O-War, the village included many vacation homes, and much of it has been destroyed. The lighthouse still stands, and has been called a beacon of hope by residents who plan to rebuild.
That rebuilding will be a struggle, though. North Abaco, one of the three Bahamas districts that make up the Abacos, had a popular fishing spot in Walker’s Cay until hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004. It has been deserted since then, though permitting for redevelopment was underway following the purchase of the island from the Bahamas by businessman Carl Allen in 2018. It’s unclear what affect Hurricane Dorian could have on that.
Allen has established a GoFundMe page to help the nearby Grand Cay and has pledged to match donations to it dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000. The damage on Grand Cay is extensive.
“All the docks I used to go to are wiped out, boats overturned,” said Hunter Hutchings, who has been going to Grand Cay each summer for 28 years. “It took us two days to get in touch with anyone on Grand Cay.”
According to Hutchings, Grand Cay is occupied by 80 Bahamian locals, half of which evacuated before Hurricane Dorian made landfall. The other half, he says, hunkered down in a one-story cinder-block schoolhouse — one of the island’s safest structures. He does not know how the locals fared, or if the schoolhouse is still standing.
Ya, I doubt very much he is raising money to help the poor families ripped apart and devastated by the Hurricane. Sounds more like he is wanting to raise money to build his resort.
Great and Little Abaco
The largest settlement on Great Abaco, Marsh Harbour, has been completely devastated. Especially hard-hit was The Mudd, a neighborhood of Haitian immigrants in which homes were constructed out of rickety materials. After a fire destroyed 55 buildings in the shantytown in January 2018, Bahamas Public Works Minister Desmond Bannister promised the government would destroy any new buildings constructed there without permits.
“You’re going to see no-build zones created. You’re going to see social services come in with certain humane services,” Bannister told The Nassau Guardian last year. “But you’re also going to see that people are not going to be allowed to get illegal electrical hook ups anymore. You’re going to see that there is going to be surveillance. … “You’re going to see that drone footage is created so that if there are new houses that are built, the drones are going to detect them and they’re going to be demolished.”
Now, Hurricane Dorian has made such statements unnecessary.
Hmmmm, so far, it is sounding to me like the rich people have been desiring to get the poor people and the Haitian Immigrants out of their way. Sounds a little too convenient to me that the Hurricane just happened to take care of that for them.
An aerial view of damage from Hurricane Dorian on Thursday in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. What was the Haitian immigrant neighborhood known as The Mudd is in the center and left of the photo. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty)
While the hurricane leveled the shantytown in Marsh Harbour, the entire town was damaged extensively. Photos from Coast Guard helicopters show the Marsh Harbour Boatyards largely destroyed, with big fishing boats thrown up onto the ground from the storm surge.
No official figures were available, but much of the population of Marsh Harbour, home to most of the roughly 20,000 residents of Abaco, seemed to have already left. Many were staying with relatives in the capital, Nassau, others with family in Florida and other parts of the United States.
In Marsh Harbour’s Murphy Town neighborhood, on a hill overlooking the azure sea, Jackson Blatch and his son-in-law were already rebuilding. In a blazing midday sun they stripped damaged shingles from Blatch’s roofs and tossed them into his truck, parked below the eaves of a home he built by hand.
Like a few other Abaco residents, Blatch is staying on an island pulverized by nature.
“Everybody says, ‘Leave.’ Leave and go where?” Blatch asked. “My plan is to rebuild this island. I have a lot to offer.”
Jackson Blatch begins to repair the roof of his house in Marsh Harbor, on the Abaco Island, Bahamas, on Saturday, September 7, 2019, after the passage of Hurricane Dorian. (AP Foto/Fernando Llano) (Fernando Llano/AP)
Unlike almost every other home on Abaco, Blatch’s house had little damage. He is a builder who prides himself on quality work. When mixing concrete, he never skimps, always precisely blending the recommended amounts of cement, sand and gravel for floors, columns and ceilings.
When he poured his walls and floors, he laced them thick with rebar, constructing a powerful skeleton that resisted the storm.
Instead of using the manufacturer-provided clips on his hurricane shutters, he used long screws on as many as possible to fix the shutters tight to the window frame.
When Dorian hit, it only managed to rip away the shutters with store-bought clips, and a few sections of shingles, leaving some of the Blatch family’s possessions wet but the structure and furnishings intact.
Destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen from the air, at Abaco Beach Resort in Marsh Harbor, Abaco Island, Bahamas, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. The Bahamian health ministry said helicopters and boats are on the way to help people in affected areas, though officials warned of delays because of severe flooding and limited access. (AP Photo/Gonzalo Gaudenzi) (Gonzalo Gaudenzi/AP)
So Blatch has power from a generator, drinking water, food and the help of his son-in-law, 25-year-old Moses Monestine.
“I don’t have a mortgage. I don’t want to go to Nassau,” he said. “I don’t want to go to the United States. I don’t want to depend on anyone.”
Abacoans, as island residents are known, describe themselves as a self-sufficient and resourceful, used to making their living from the sea. Blocks and even entire neighborhoods are taken up by extended families — a cousin next door to a brother next door to a sister-in-law, forming instant support networks that went into action ahead of the storm.
Many Abacoans work on ships or docks, others at the second homes that wealthy Americans have built throughout the long, curving island.
Amazing how the boats and docks were all destroyed by the Hurricane, putting these people out of business.
This photo from Google Earth shows Marsh Harbour Boatyards prior to the arrival of Hurricane Dorian.
This photo taken from a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter shows Marsh Harbour Boatyards after Hurricane Dorian. (U.S. Coast Guard / Courtesy)
Treasure Cay, which despite its name is part of Great Abaco, was completely stripped of trees and other covering,according to doctors and nurses who arrived at Treasure Cay on Thursday. Island residents begged to leave, but the small plane that carried medical staff to the island could accommodate only the medical staff.
Elsewhere on Great Abaco, hundreds of residents lined up at the port Friday, desperate to get off the island and receive aid.
“It’s chaos here,” Great Abaco resident Gee Rolle told the Associated Press, as he waited for a boat that could take them to Nassau. “The government is trying their best, but at the same time, I don’t think they’re doing a good enough job to evacuate the people. It ain’t livable for nobody. Only animals can live here.”
Grand Bahama Island
Keith Cooper rode out the storm in his cousin’s house in Freeport. He says the town suffered a lot of water and wind damage, but nothing to the degree of the eastern part of Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands. Cooper said that downtown Freeport is in “pretty good shape” structurally, but it’s still unclear how much flooding damage there could have been inside businesses.
It ain’t livable for nobody. Only animals can live here.”
GREAT ABACO RESIDENT GEE ROLLE
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The east end of Grand Bahama tapers off into a series of cays — August, McLean’s Town, Big Harbour, Deep Water, Little Harbour, Bonefish, Sweetings, Lightborne, Big Cross, Michael’s and Long. The European television news network Euronews published satellite images taken from before and after the storm that show the vast majority of these cays was underwater on Sept. 2 after Dorian swept through.
“There is nothing left,” Cooper said he had heard from residents of the Abacos and the eastern part of Grand Bahama. “Flattened buildings. Dead bodies in the water.”
I am sorry but the official “death toll” of 56 people is a joke. Seriously, they must think we are all idiots! If you buy that report, your brain is just not working.
Although much of Freeport is still standing, flooding throughout the island has been extensive. Major infrastructure has been severely damaged. Grand Bahamas main airport and hospital were both flooded. Cooper estimated it would take two months to restore power and water.
“This is the most incredible thing I have ever heard or been through in my life. The wind would not stop. The howling would not stop,” he said. “We are very resilient people. We have walked this walk many times. We are going to make it. We are all working together the best we can. We are going to survive.”
Aerial footage of Great Abaco Island shows the damage left behind after Hurricane Dorian tore through the Bahamas last week as a Category 5 storm. This footage was shot on Sunday, Sept. 8 by Tom Cotter, the director of emergency response and preparedness for the global relief organization Project HOPE. The organization was delivering trauma supplies to a government clinic in Marsh Harbour, which is in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6
https://youtu.be/E-zdt-fYLlg
Update 10/3/19
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET THESE PEOPLE> WE NEED SOME UPDATES – THEY ARE STILL IN DYER NEED OF SUPPORT!
In the Bahamas, you can smell more bodies than you can find
Photos of two women missing since Hurricane Dorian hang on the door of a shelter for displaced people from Abaco in Nassau, Bahamas. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)
By Juliette Kayyem
October 2 at 6:18 PM
Juliette Kayyem is a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
NASSAU, Bahamas — Among the relief workers who cycle in and out of the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, an unofficial refrain sums up the situation: You can smell more bodies than you can find.
The government death toll remains, officially, at 58 , but nobody here in Nassau believes it. The conventional wisdom among locals holds that hundreds of the 1,300 still reported missing were swept out to sea, but as the massive debris removal gets underway, the smell implies a different story. On the devastated islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, souls are being found: There are still “quite a bit of bodies,” said Abaco’s Marsh Harbour coroner, Anon McIntosh.
For nearly 24 hours, Dorian’s 200 mph winds sat on top of Abaco and its 17,000 residents, ripping everything apart and drowning whole areas before moving slowly on to Grand Bahama. More than 10,000 evacuees from Abaco alone are thought to be in Nassau. They talk of bodies they saw, families entirely lost.
But it isn’t only the uncounted dead that the Bahamian government is worried about, as criticism of its slow response to the Sept. 1-2 disaster begins to pivot to frustration. For the richest country in the Caribbean to remain so, it must present a different vision of recovery, one that tells the outside world that it is open for business. “14 islands of the Bahamas are ready and waiting to receive you,” a tourist office tweets, ignoring the other devastated two. Massive cruise ships are again lined up in Nassau’s untouched harbor, monstrosities of grandeur looming over the overcrowded evacuation shelters in their shadow.
There is no shame in these opposing narratives; both are true. For any recovery to begin, the dead must be accounted for and treated with respect. But recovery for the Bahamas is dependent on a steady stream of visitors; after all, 60 percent of its economy is related to tourism.
At the same time, Dorian has made this Caribbean nation the newest evidence of our changing climate and sea-level rise: Disasters are changing, and how we deal with them must change as well.
For much of the 20th century, emergency response was based on the notion that natural disasters were random and rare. Yes, bad things happened, but with a surge of resources and commitment, a damaged community could quickly get back to where it was.
But storms like Dorian are no longer random and rare — and they are stronger and more violent. “It is a template hurricane,” Bahamian meteorologist Wayne Neely said. “It’s the new normal.” Which raises this question: Why invest in recovery that builds communities back when the next storm is always coming, maybe harsher than the last? The simple question in Abaco is whether to rebuild at all.
The government here has not decided how to answer. It has placed a moratorium on some rebuilding on Abaco so that recovery efforts can be fully planned before everyone just starts doing the same thing again. Meanwhile, people from Abaco don’t know whether they are temporary storm evacuees or permanent climate-change refugees.
At the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium in Nassau, 700 of these evacuees are on a single floor, with crammed mattresses and babies crying, mothers trying to look respectable for Sunday services, men playing cards. The government does not allow cameras inside, saying that it is for the evacuees’ privacy. The evacuees, almost all of them of Haitian descent, whisper from their beds that it is because officials don’t want the images coming out. “Home is home,” said Shella Monestime, whose baby was born a day before Dorian hit and who expects to return to Abaco, although her physical home is gone. “This,” she noted, pointing to the shelter, “is no place for anyone.”
Storms impact communities as they find them. Hurricane Katrina did not create corruption in New Orleans city management. Hurricane Maria did not create a crumbling infrastructure in Puerto Rico. And Hurricane Dorian did not create an ethnic divide between Bahamians and Haitians, who came to Abaco for jobs and remain stigmatized in a country that barely affords them citizenship, let alone political participation. They have no say in the future of their island.
The scene on Grand Bahama is not as grim. That island also took a direct hit from Dorian, but people are returning to rebuild. The government has asked various relief services to remain for now, said Scott Lillibridge, who runs the medical disaster units for the International Medical Corps. “We don’t know how long we will be here, but we aren’t leaving soon,” he said.
One major storm, neither random nor rare, has left many missions in its wake: the cleanup; whether, and how, to build again; the future of Haitian immigrants, who fear the government will simply send them back to Haiti; and luring vacationers to keep the desperately needed money flowing.
But first the bodies must be found and identified, so their families can pay respects. Maybe they’ve been swept away to the ocean. The smell suggests otherwise.
Abaco Islands, Bahamas survivor and refugee Shannon Moxey documents his final days in Abaco with video footage; before, during, and after Hurricane Dorian. Watch this Living Witness TV exclusive short documentary. #Abaco#AbacoIslands#HurricaneDorian
Website is up and Running $2.99/month NEW VIDEOS, PODCASTS AND LIVE STREAMS Exclusively at www.acallforanuprising.com Merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/a-call-f…
PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE BAHAMAS!!! THEY ARE LOCKED IN HELL WITH NO ESCAPE!!
PHOTOS: Volunteers collect donations for the Bahamas at Venue Naples
Meals of Hope needs 300 volunteers to sign up for a meal-packaging event Saturday to help with Hurricane Dorian relief in the Bahamas.
The Naples-based nonprofit organization that feeds the needy plans to pack 100,000 meals from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday at Naples High School, 1100 Golden Eagle Circle.
“We definitely need 300 people,” Meals of Hope executive director Steve Popper said.
Using an assembly line process, volunteers will package fortified ingredients into meals that can feed up to eight people.
To sign up, go to Meals of Hope’s Facebook page, look for the Bahama Relief event and scroll down and click on the Eventbrite to register. Anybody not
able to attend can make a donation to Meals of Hope.
The Saturday event will prepare enough meals to fill a 40-foot container.
Crave Culinaire/Venue Naples, spearheaded by celebrity chef Brian Roland and supporters, and a Bahama relief effort organized by Rotary District 6960, will ship the meals to the Bahamas, Popper said.
For more information, call Meals of Hope at 239-596-8990.
Jacksonville, FL – Hurricane Dorian dealt a catastrophic blow to Grand Bahama Island and Abaco. The death toll is expected to climb, as some deaths are from injuries after being flown to New Providence Island. Dorian hit Abaco on Sunday and then hovered over Grand Bahama for a day and a half.
The United Nations announced the purchase of eight tons of ready-to-eat meals and said it will provide satellite communications equipment and airlift storage units, generators and prefab offices to set up logistics hubs. U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said about 70,000 people “are in immediate need of life-saving assistance” on Grand Bahama and Abaco.
News 104.5 WOKV and Action News Jax have partnered once again for the Convoy of Care relief drive. Volunteers will collect bottled water, baby supplies and more at the St. Johns Town Center roundabout in front of Maggiano’s on Tuesday from 7 AM – 2 PM.
The supplies will be delivered to the Bahamas to help families who lost everything in the storm.
The full list of supplies being collected: -Bottled water
Relief organizations such as Operation Airdrop will deliver supplies to the Bahamas in the coming weeks.Operation Airdrop
The scene is brutal: Miles of devastated houses, beaches, and businesses on the main island of Abaco in the Bahamas. Waves lash over the flooded runway at Marsh Harbour airport, clearly closing off the normal means by which people travel here from across the ocean. No ferries, even. Hurricane Dorian churned its way through these islands just a couple of days ago, taking its own awful time.
Pilots who have flown here for vacations and relaxation, for business and pleasure—all watch now in frustration as they wait for a way to help, feeling viscerally the pain of the people stranded on the islands they love without power, fuel, or electricity. A handful have flown over to witness the destruction and contemplate how they can return with supplies, or evacuate more people who need the lift. Flying spoke with one Miami-based pilot who has visited the area countless times in his Cessna 210, and he described the gut-wrenching emotions he felt—and the helplessness he hopes will turn soon into action.
Various aviation rescue and relief organizations stand ready to mobilize. We spoke earlier this week with Allison Hoyt, communications director for Operation Airdrop, based in Texas. “[The logistics] change with every hurricane,” said Hoyt, in terms of from where the relief effort is staged, and how many aircraft and pilots are needed. The organization seeks aircraft owners willing to fly their airplanes from a given geographical area, but those without airplanes can help out too. “Those [who don’t have aircraft] but are pilots can help out well on the ground,” said Hoyt. Pilots are assigned tasks such as loading and servicing, because their skills (knowing how to run a weight-and-balance calculation) and awareness (staying out of prop arcs) come in handy.
Operation Airdrop stages from a single airport, typically, to help it keep tabs on all aspects of the effort and maximize its small budget. Because of the scale of the projected Bahamas effort, as of Wednesday, September 4, the organization has requested that only pilots with high performance singles or twins, or turbine aircraft register for this specific mission. Extensive Bahamas flight experience is also required. In fact, for this effort, Operation Airdrop projects that much of the relief will come by water, given that the islands lay only four to five hours away by boat.
Other rescue/relief organizations, such as AeroBridge and Mercy Flight Southeast, coordinate similar missions too. All seek donations and volunteers year-round; more information can be found on their respective websites.
One thing that will be critical to the success of the relief effort for the Bahamas, however, was still not solidified at press time: how to coordinate all of the separate but related efforts through bureaucratic processes—chiefly customs and immigration, given the clear fact the Bahamas are not part of the United States. On the Bahamas Customs Department site, only a registration form for EMTs (emergency medical technicians) was active as of Wednesday. With only certain airports in south Florida housing customs on site, coordination with U.S. Customs upon return will be required—just one of many logistical hurdles that any relief effort must surmount before real assistance can be delivered.
For now, with most of the infrastructure damaged—or simply disappeared—the focus remains on evacuation and medical attention. A long road to rebuilding lies ahead.
Urgent release!
AERObridge is ACTIVATING for Hurricane Dorian. We are setting up for a response to the Bahamas as well as the southeast United States, should the storm require a response closer to home.
Missions are being flown into The Bahamas now.
We have a new system to dispatch, record, and track missions, so it is important to register for access to the new system.
More information will follow as the storm passes.
Again, please take a moment to register yourself into the new system so to have access to all available missions.
Global Giving has established the Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund to provide emergency supplies and long-term assistance to help in rebuilding.
World Central Kitchen, set up by the chef José Andrés, provides food to people after natural disasters. Mr. Andrés and a relief team have arrived in Nassau, the capital, and have begun to identify places where they can set up kitchens on the affected islands.
HeadKnowles is a Bahamian organization that organized relief operations during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Joaquin in 2015. They have set up a site through Go Fund Me.
Yacht Aid Global has set up “Operation Topaz” to bring emergency supplies like food, tarps, hygiene kits and medicine to Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands. The organization works with yachts in the region to coordinate support.
Team Rubicon, an organization of military veterans that provides disaster relief, is in the Bahamas.
Requested supplies include beds, blankets, ice, non-perishable food, water and power banks. Officials are asking residents to only donate what is being requested by the government of the Bahamas. For the full list of requested items, click here.
Drop-off locations are:
▪ Miami-Dade County Main Library, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami.
▪ Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW First St., Miami.
▪ Joseph Caleb Center, 5400 NW 22nd Ave., Miami.
▪ Miami-Dade County Downtown Motor Pool, 201 NW 1st St., Miami.
▪ South Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211th St., Cutler Bay.
Those making donations at the Stephen P. Clark Center in downtown Miami will have their parking validated at the drop-off point on the first floor. All other locations have free parking available.
Miami-Dade County announced on Sept. 3, 2019, four locations accepting donations for the Bahamas as Hurricane Dorian makes its way north.
By Samuel Navarro
The City of Miami
The City of Miami has created 16 drop-off locations, including fire stations and two churches in Coconut Grove — Greater St. Paul AME Church, 3680 Thomas Ave., and Christ Episcopal Church, 3475 William Ave. — to collect donations such as water, canned goods and diapers. Tropic Ocean Airways, a Fort Lauderdale-based private charter company, has volunteered to fly the supplies to the Bahamas.
City of Miami announces relief efforts for ravaged Bahamas
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and other city officials speak at a press conference to inform the public regarding the City of Miami’s efforts to support the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian, in Miami, Florida on Tuesday, September 3, 2019.
Broward County business owners with ties to the Bahamas are collecting donations for the Caribbean Islands following the disaster Hurricane Dorian left behind. Carli Teproff cteproff@miamiherald.com
Broward County business owners with ties to the Bahamas are collecting medical supplies, baby food and diapers, toiletries, tarps, tents and tools, personal hygiene products and money. They are not accepting clothes or blankets.
Key West leaders are putting together a humanitarian relief effort for Key West’s sister city, Green Turtle Cay, a barrier island off Great Abaco Island. They plan on setting up a trust account for financial donations and are securing air and water transportation to the island.
The Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition has created a GoFundMe page to raise $100,000 for Bahamians impacted by Hurricane Dorian. It says it will work with Bahamian authorities so that all of the funds go to those who need it most.
World Central Kitchen’s “Chef Relief Team” has kitchens set up at Castaways Resort & Suites, Grand Lucayan Resort, Abaco Beach Resort and Atlantis Bahamas.
The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has established a special relief fund to provide immediate assistance to those in the Bahamas and elsewhere impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The organization has pledged to absorb all administrative costs so all of the proceeds will go toward relief efforts.
Donate by visiting JewishMiami.org/hurricanedorian. Checks can also be mailed payable to Greater Miami Jewish Federation, 4200 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33137. Note “Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund” in the memo of each check.
Episcopal Charities of Southeast Florida
Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida is trying to raise $50,000 to send to the Bishop of the Bahamas.
Checks can also be made out to The Diocese of Southeast Florida and sent to The Bishop’s Office at 525 NE 15th St., Miami, FL 33132. Put “Bishop’s Bahamas Appeal” in the memo line.
Food for the Poor drive
The Broward-based charity is collecting canned meats, canned fish, canned milk — both evaporated and condensed — and diapers to help aid those in the Bahamas. The items can be dropped off at the Food for the Poor warehouse, 6401 Lyons Road in Coconut Creek in Broward County, between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
The charity says it is working with Sandals Foundation and the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida to coordinate aid.
Doral Donations
The City of Doral is partnering with Miami-Dade County to collect donations for the Bahamas until Sept. 18. Requested items include flashlights, wipes, water and mosquito spray.
The drop-off sites will run from 9-a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays, and from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends. Locations include:
▪ Doral Legacy Park (11400 NW 82 St.)
▪ Doral Meadow Park (11555 NW 58th St.)
▪ Morgan Levy Park (5300 NW 102nd Ave.)
Miami Beach
All Miami Beach Fire Stations are accepting goods and supplies that the Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would be helpful to their relief effort.
Drop off supplies between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at any Miami Beach Fire Station.
Supplies requested by the government of the Bahamas:
Potable/purified water
Water bladders/containers
Water purification kits
Non-perishable food items
First aid items (sterile bandages/gauze, medical tape, etc)
The City of Hialeah Fire Stations and Goodlet Park will serve as donation centers from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Locations will accept water, canned foods, can openers, mosquito repellent, sun block, diapers, baby formula, first aid kits, flash lights, batteries and small generators.
Fire Station 1, 93 E. Fifth St.
Fire Station 2, 4200 E. Eighth Ave.
Fire Station 3, 800 W. 49th St.
Fire Station 4, 251 E. 12th Ave.
Fire Station 5, 1197 W. 74th St.
Fire Station 6, 780 W. 24th Ave.
Fire Station 7, 7590 W. 24th Ave.
Fire Station 8, 5405 W. 18th Ave.
Goodlet Park, 4200 W. Eighth Ave.
Misha’s Cupcakes
Misha’s Cupcakes will begin a Hurricane Dorian Relief drive at its eight South Florida stores to collect supplies such as water, food and clothes for the Bahamas during store hours. Those who bring three or more items will get 25 percent off their purchase. To find a store near you visit, mishascupcakes.com.
Florida International University has activated “FIU Strong” to support students, faculty and alumni impacted by Hurricane Dorian.
“One hundred percent of the money raised will go directly to assist Panthers in need,” according to the school’s website.
Those interested in learning how they can donate, visit fiustrong.fiu.edu.
Miami Dade College
MDC is providing assistance and support to Bahamian students enrolled at the college. In addition, MDC will assist college students from the Bahamas displaced by the storm. To donate go to mdc.edu/iammdc and choose Hurricane Dorian Relief as your gift designation.
The college is collectin smaller items such as first aid and personal hygiene supplies, which can be dropped off at Student Life locations college-wide. Larger items such as tarps and tools can be dropped off at the Fuchs Pavilion at the Miami-Dade County Fair Grounds, at 10901 SW 24 St.
University of Miami
The University of Miami says its has medical teams from UHealth, the University of Miami Health System, coordinating relief efforts with other agencies and have created a Hurricane Dorian Response Fund.
Donations to the fund will help UM and partner organizations assist in the Bahamas recovery efforts. The fund will also help the school’s Bahamian and other Dorian-impacted communities.
The Marlins are turning their ballpark into a donation site during the team’s homestand, running through Sept. 12. The team’s charitable foundation will match monetary donations from fans, who can donate at the stadium concession stands.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins will hold Hurricane Dorian collection drives at Hard Rock Stadium at Sunday’s game against the Ravens and the Sept. 15 game against the Patriots.
Fans are asked to donate the following items: Flashlights, batteries, adult and baby diapers, baby wipes, feminine hygiene products.
Drop-off sites at stadium: East, Southeast, and Southwest pedestrian walkways, Lot 13/14, Lot 10 and Lot 16/17.
Three-businesses effort
Group USA, Sunset Pediatrics and Your Insurance Attorney have set up three locations in Miami-Dade County to collect supplies for the Bahamas. The three
The locations are in Brickell, South Miami and Coconut Grove will be shipping all supplies to Tamiami Airport to be taken to the Bahamas. Supplies in need: non-perishable food, trash bags, toiletries, diapers and personal hygiene products.
▪ Brickell Drop off location – MV Group USA
120 Brickell Ave., Suite 660
▪ South Miami Drop off location – Sunset Pediatrics
7300 SW 62 Place, PH-West
▪ Brickell Drop off location – Your Insurance Attorney
2601 South Bayshore Dr., 18th Floor
North Miami
The City of North Miami has launched a supply drive at North Miami City Hall, at 776 NE 125th St., which will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Supplies needed: Canned food, baby supplies, diapers, powdered formula, baby food, tarps, portable water filter system, can openers, school supplies, cots, solar-powered fans, mosquito spray, sunscreen, first-aid items, flashlights, batteries, small generators, blankets and hygiene kits. The city is unable to receive donated clothing or money.
Coral Gables
The City of Coral Gables and the city’s fire department are collecting relief supplies for those in the Bahamas.
The locations are:
▪ Fire Station 1, 2815 Salzedo St.
▪ Fire Station 2, 525 S. Dixie Hwy.
▪ Fire Station 3, 11911 Old Cutler Road
Supplies: canned goods, can openers, mosquito spray, first-aid items, diapers and batteries.
Working with Imperial Freight Brokers and The Tank Brewing Co., the city has opened a site for Hurricane Dorian relief efforts for the Bahamas.
From 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. weekdays, supplies can be brought to the city of West Miami Recreation Center, 1700 SW 62 Ave.
Some supplies the city is looking for are cooking utensils, roof shingles, chain saws and shovels, jerry cans, non-perishable food and plastic sheeting.
The city of West Miami is accepting supplies at its Recreation Center at 1700 SW 62 Ave. from Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. City of West Miami
Festival of the Arts
Broward College will hold its Third Annual Festival of the Arts and will teamup with The Bahamas Hurricane Relief to collect supplies.
The free festival is being held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m Saturday and will include a tour of Bailey Hall with backstage crew, learning about ceramics or painting, visiting a mini-showcase and an interactive workshop.
During the event, donations of toiletries, diapers, wipes and hand sanitizer will be accepted. For information, call 954-201-6884.
Palm Beach County Medical Society
The Palm Beach County Medical Society will be accepting donations of medical supplies.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m weekdays, supplies can be dropped off at the medical society’s office at 3540 Forest Hill Blvd. Suite 101.
Some of the medical supplies needed:
▪ Ace bandages
▪ Gloves, for the operating room and exams
▪ Walkers and crutches
▪ Stethoscope
The society is also asking for more specific medical supplies which can be found at www.pbcms.org/bahama-relief.
Metro Ford Miami
Metro Ford of Miami is collecting hurricane relief supplies at its North Miami location at 9000 NW Seventh Ave.
The dealership says that all donations are welcome: from clothes to baby food to first aid kits.
Supplies can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Tropical Financial Credit Union
The Tropical Financial Credit Union will accept donated items at all of its branches in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties during normal business hours through Friday at noon.
Some of the items the credit union is asking for are pet food, water, camping lights, bug spray and gas cans.
Cleveland Clinic Florida
Donation boxes will be placed in Cleveland Clinic’s Weston and Treasure Coast facilities. Supplies needed: Garbage bags, lanterns, rescue whistles, tents and water boots. Drop-off locations are:
▪ Weston Hospital, 2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd.
▪ Martin Health Hospital, 200 SE Hospital Ave.
▪ Indian River Hospital, 1000 36th St.
Cleveland Clinic Florida has also sent teams of responders to the Bahamas.
Cleveland Clinic Florida have sent a team of responders to provide assistance to the residents in the Bahamas. The first group left for the Bahamas on Wednesday. Cleveland Clinic Florida
Rotary International
Rotary International District 6990 has secured a 181-foot ship and purchased collected, and packed items to fill four 20-foot containers.
The supplies collected include cleaning supplies, tarps, toiletries, diapers, gloves, first aid, sunscreen, clean towels and rags, flashlights, batteries, building & repair supplies and canned good goods.
The organization is continuing relief efforts by asking those who wish to donate to do so via a PayPal account the group has created at www.rotary6990.org.
Global Empowerment Mission
Founder Michael Capponi, a Miami nightlife promoter, has partnered with Tropic Ocean Airways to fly supplies to the Bahamas.
Global Empowerment has sets up collection centers at Sacred Space Warehouse, 340 NE 59th Terrace, Miami; American Horse Trails Ranch, 4928 SW 198th Terrace, Southwest Ranches; and Smith, Gaskill & Shenkman, 11891 U.S. Hwy. 1, North Palm Beach.
The Little Haiti nonprofit has set up a collection center next to Chef Creole restaurant, at the Muce305 facility at 246 NW 54th St. The group is also seeking volunteers to help handle donations.
City of North Miami Beach
Miami-Dade County and Waste Management have joined forces with the City of North Miami Beach to open 11 supply drop-off locations for Hurricane Dorian relief aid.
The city is asking for power banks, toys for children, hygiene kits, and chainsaws. For a full list of items check here. Clothes will not be accepted.
Here are the 11 locations you can donate supplies:
▪ City of North Miami Beach City Hall, 17011 NE 19 Ave.: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
▪ North Miami Beach Police Department, 16901 NE 19 Ave.: Open 24 hours
▪ Uleta Park Community Center, 386 NE 169th St.: Monday – Friday, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
▪ Highland Village Community Center, 13621 NE 21 Ave.: Monday – Friday, 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
▪ Allen Park Youth Center, 1770 NE 162nd St.: Monday – Friday, 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
▪ Washington Park Community Center, 15290 NE 15 Court: Monday – Friday, 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
▪ Parks and Recreation Administrative Office, 17051 NE 19 Ave.: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
▪ North Miami Beach Building Department, 17050 NE 19 Ave.: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
▪ North Miami Beach Library, 1601 NE 164th St.: Monday – Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 7:50 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
▪ North Miami Beach Operations Center, 2101 NE 159 St.: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
▪ Motor Pool, 1965 NE 151 St.: Monday- Friday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Donation drive at Aventura Mall
In the wake of the devastation left by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, Aventura Mall is collecting critically needed supplies, which will be donated through Global Empowerment Mission.
Some items the mall is looking for are baby food and formula, cleaning supplies, diapers and wipes, first-aid items and kits, flashlights and candles, heavy-duty garbage bags and pet food (dry and canned).
Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade has begun relief efforts to collect supplies for those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.
The Boys & Girls Clubs is also working with the United Way of Miami-Dade and other organizations to distribute supplies in the Bahamas to those affected.
All five Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade locations are accepting items through Friday, Sept. 13. The locations are:
▪ Hank Kline Club, 2805 SW 32nd Ave.
▪ Kendall Club, 9475 N. Kendall Drive
▪ Northwest Club, 10915 NW 14th Ave.
▪ South Beach Club, 1200 Michigan Ave.
▪ Gwen Cherry Club, 7090 NW 22nd Ave.
Items needed are: easily opened non-perishable food, diapers and baby products, clothes and shoes for children, teenagers and adults, first aid supplies, mosquito spray and hygiene products.
Items can also be donated through Amazon Smiles and shipped to Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade’s Hank Kline Club. Click here to order from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2kwtGch
This article will be updated with new volunteer, drives and donation information.
Note: This article has been clarified to say that the seaplanes traveling to the Bahamas with the supplies the city of Miami is collecting are not sponsored by the city. A private Fort Lauderdale-based company has volunteered to fly the supplies.
able to attend can make a donation to Meals of Hope.
able to attend can make a donation to Meals of Hope.
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