Donating for Bahamas hurricane relief

[JimMIA]

Here's a very good article from CNBC on donating to Bahamas hurricane relief:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/04/how-to-help-victims-after-hurricane-dorian.html
[Mods, I was going to post this on the Community board, but there doesn't seem to be any discussion there. If it would be more appropriate/helpful on another board, please move it. Thanks.]

A couple of comments on a few of the suggestions:

BahamasStrong -- this is an new initiative of the Mayor of the City of Miami. City fire stations are accepting in-kind donations. So if you're not local in Miami, another choice would probably be better. Cash donations would probably be better directed to other organizations..

Miami-Dade County -- same deal as BahamasStrong -- best for locals, not the best vehicle for cash donations. Nothing wrong with either organization, but the logistics of transferring your donation would be better with other choices.

Operation Helping Hands -- this is a longstanding cooperative effort between the Miami Herald and the Miami-Dade United Way to help all sorts of people with all sorts of problems. It's a very good organization and they are working directly with the Bahamian government through the Bahamian consulate here in Miami. If you earmark a donation, it will go where you want it to go.

Bahamian Red Cross -- another well-established organization, and one that is actually directly involved in the relief effort on the ground in the Bahamas.

My advice is to stay away from crowd-funding operations because some of them will be fraud schemes and there are plenty of legitimate organizations.

 

[JimMIA]

Here's another article detailing some of the early reports of devastation:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/05/eve...ans-struggle-in-dorians-devastating-wake.html
In the "after" part of the before/after photos, the yellow lines are the original boundary of Grand Bahama Island. The light blue stuff covering the Freeport airport, residential areas, etc. is the Atlantic Ocean.

It will probably be at least a week before we realize the full scope of this disaster, but this quote will give you a sense of it:

“My island of Abaco, everything is gone. No banks, no stores, no nothing,” said Marsh Harbour resident, Ramond A. King as he surveyed the wreckage of his home, which had its roof ripped off and debris scattered throughout. “Everything is gone, just bodies.”

 

[easyas123]

If I may make a suggestion...as someone who has family lives in the affected Abaco Islands, I'd like to recommend the following for anyone wishing to assist. I can personally tell you that the majority of the folks who inhabit the Abacos are modest, hard working people whose livelihood is heavily dependent on tourism. Boat rentals, golf cart rentals, vacation rental management, restaurants and grocery stores. Dive shops and ferry boats. These people have lost their businesses, and the infrastructure to support the majority of tourism is gone. GONE. Many have lost their homes, many have homes with severe damage. Electric at the best of times can be iffy down there....I suspect that it will be months before many have electric services back. Communications are minimal. Cell phone towers are down. The ferry boats that shuttled tourists and locals to different Cays are sunk in the Man o War harbour.

Thank you everyone.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/headknowles-emergency-funds
*Head Knowles foundation very well thought of, has been around long before this hurricane hit us*

https://solrelief.org/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/aex-dori...FdcYbr0wRixwJRIf2-WRDzBdzNkMl6eLkDm8KVnIBYuSE
https://discoverylandcofoundation.org/abaco-relief-fund/

 

[joviroxx]

If I may make a suggestion...as someone who has family lives in the affected Abaco Islands, I'd like to recommend the following for anyone wishing to assist. I can personally tell you that the majority of the folks who inhabit the Abacos are modest, hard working people whose livelihood is heavily dependent on tourism. Boat rentals, golf cart rentals, vacation rental management, restaurants and grocery stores. Dive shops and ferry boats. These people have lost their businesses, and the infrastructure to support the majority of tourism is gone. GONE. Many have lost their homes, many have homes with severe damage. Electric at the best of times can be iffy down there....I suspect that it will be months before many have electric services back. Communications are minimal. Cell phone towers are down. The ferry boats that shuttled tourists and locals to different Cays are sunk in the Man o War harbour.

Thank you everyone.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/headknowles-emergency-funds
*Head Knowles foundation very well thought of, has been around long before this hurricane hit us*

https://solrelief.org/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/aex-dori...FdcYbr0wRixwJRIf2-WRDzBdzNkMl6eLkDm8KVnIBYuSE
https://discoverylandcofoundation.org/abaco-relief-fund/

We own a vacation home on Treasure. The pictures we have been getting are awful. Im still worried about many of the residents that I haven't heard about. From overhead pics our home seems to just have lost shingles but its hard to determine water damage. But I care more about the community of the Abacos, and it is a community. I worry how everything will come back without the tourism. Man O War was underwater,, homes completely gone, Nippers demolished. I so agree with you, the landscape is what drew us to Treasure over 20 years ago, but its the people that kept us ther. They are some of the most amazing human beings I have ever met. Abaco is the perfect mix of people and beauty without the commercialization of other places. I always saw it as my sanctuary. My heart breaks for them.

I will pray that your family is ok. Im not sure when we will be able to get our there as its just not safe for private boats yet.

www.globalempowermentmission.com is another really good and reputable organization.

 

[easyas123]

Neighbor! We are in Guana- halfway between settlement & BB. We understand our house is still there- just don’t know what condition. Dock gone.... yeah it’s not hard to see Nippers taking a hit, I understand Big Troy ok though...but so much is just rumor. Are you on the Abaco forum? They’ve got dedicated threads on Treasure, and the other Cays.
Wow... it’s rare that Abacos & Disney meet!
We’ve actually got a mooring ball off of the dock and my husband and brother are actually in route right now with chainsaws generators tools fuel and Sat Phone‘s to leave on the island for people I don’t want to mention their names but you might have heard of them – to get a Headstart on stuff. And if there’s enough left of our house and a good friends house in orchid Bay they’ll board those up as well. Then turning around and heading back until we can get back.
The loss really is just shocking isn’t it, and to think the major livelihood of all of The Bahamians in the Abacos is tourism , and it’s all gone.
I

 

[JimMIA]

Someone in Miami donated 100 generators. Very generous gift, but I can't help wondering where he thinks people are going to get gasoline!

I still say cash is king -- as long as it's given to a reputable organization with boots on the ground in the Bahamas so they can actually get needed items to people.

I believe two cruise ships -- one from Royal Caribbean and one from Norwegian - went over from Miami today with supplies. The Royal Caribbean ship was supposed to go to Freeport and be offloaded by tugboats. The Norwegian ship was taking their supplies to Nassau for transfer to the northern islands.

 

[easyas123]

Many of us keep generators and fuel at our homes over there, and the extra fuel will help power things temporarily. Allow pumps to run for instance- most folks are on cistern and if any salt Water got in tanks they’ll need to be pumped out so they can be used for clean water. And they’ll need them to recharge battery power tools that will be used this first week to clear up roads, board up houses.The SAT phone will be a big help, too.
And yes, huge infusion of cash will go a long, long way.
So sad to see this paradise we’ve loved for 40 + years so decimated .
We are committed to rebuilding.

 

[joviroxx]

Someone in Miami donated 100 generators. Very generous gift, but I can't help wondering where he thinks people are going to get gasoline!

I still say cash is king -- as long as it's given to a reputable organization with boots on the ground in the Bahamas so they can actually get needed items to people.

I believe two cruise ships -- one from Royal Caribbean and one from Norwegian - went over from Miami today with supplies. The Royal Caribbean ship was supposed to go to Freeport and be offloaded by tugboats. The Norwegian ship was taking their supplies to Nassau for transfer to the northern islands.

I heard that too. What worries me the most is the lack of safe shelter. And now desparation is sneaking in and thats when bad things happen.

You are right, if you want to donate, cash is the best thing right now

 

[joviroxx]

Neighbor! We are in Guana- halfway between settlement & BB. We understand our house is still there- just don’t know what condition. Dock gone.... yeah it’s not hard to see Nippers taking a hit, I understand Big Troy ok though...but so much is just rumor. Are you on the Abaco forum? They’ve got dedicated threads on Treasure, and the other Cays.
Wow... it’s rare that Abacos & Disney meet!
We’ve actually got a mooring ball off of the dock and my husband and brother are actually in route right now with chainsaws generators tools fuel and Sat Phone‘s to leave on the island for people I don’t want to mention their names but you might have heard of them – to get a Headstart on stuff. And if there’s enough left of our house and a good friends house in orchid Bay they’ll board those up as well. Then turning around and heading back until we can get back.
The loss really is just shocking isn’t it, and to think the major livelihood of all of The Bahamians in the Abacos is tourism , and it’s all gone.
I

Hey, born and raised in S FLorida, so its a natural combo!!! So glad your family is heading out, my brother and brother in law plan to head out this weekend. As you know, the Abaco community is strong, and somehow we will figure it all out. The sadness is real, the memories are real, but my heart hurts for the locals. Im not on the abaco forums but am glad to see more and more people are being confirmed as safe.

 

[JimMIA]

The large Bahamian community in Miami (which has been here for generations) is raising money for the relief effort in classic Bahamian style -- by throwing a party! They are having a festival in Miami's historic Overtown district, with great food, music and dancing. Talk about a perfect fit!

https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/restaurants/article234751127.html