Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 storm, struck the Bahamas in August of 2019. The storm was the worst natural disaster ever to hit the island nation and caused catastrophic damage. 13,000 homes were severely damaged or destroyed, hundreds of people were killed, and more than 70,000 people were left homeless.
Neighborhoods were reduced to rubble, houses were swept away by storm surges, and about 60% of the island of Grand Bahamas was under water, including the airport. About 45% of the homes in Grand Bahama and Abaco were severely damaged or destroyed.
Because of your generosity, we were able to respond quickly and effectively in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. We rushed 5,000 tarps, 158 generators, 2,000 solar lights, 1,080 disaster health kids, 93,000 diapers, 252,000 baby wipes, 1,700 cans of baby formula, and 21,000 Ready to Eat Meals to the most stricken areas.
Next, we delivered $50,000 worth of cleaning supplies and 67,000 cans of non-perishable food to families left homeless or living in damaged dwellings. In all, because of your compassion, we were able to deliver more than $450,000 in aid during the initial stages of this disaster.
During the recovery stage, which we completed in June 2021, our activities were focused on repairing damaged homes on two severely hit islands: Grand Bahama and Abaco. To help stimulate the battered economy, we purchased construction materials locally, and hired local labor to perform all repairs. We were able to invest another $537,000 into these long-term recovery activities!
On Grand Bahama Island, many homes suffered severe flooding from storm surge, so we focused on drywall replacement. On Abaco Island, many homes suffered extensive wind damage, so we directed our work to replacing and repairing damaged roofs. We succeeded in repairing 150 homes on Grand Bahama and another 44 homes on Abaco.
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