On September 1^st, the eye of category 5 Hurricane Dorian made landfall on the Abaco Islands with winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), making it the strongest hurricane on record to hit the Bahamas. The official death toll has reached 53 people, yet hundreds are still unaccounted for.

Large sections of the Abacos and the eastern part of Grand Bahama were flooded under 18-23 feet of water due to a powerful storm surge, causing incredible devastation. The United Nations estimates that 76,000 people in Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands have been left homeless and in need of help.

The town of Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco was the worst hit by the impact of Dorian and in the following days after the hurricane, nearly the entire population was evacuated and relocated to the capital city, Nassau. Marsh Harbour- once a thriving community – now resembles a ghost town, with little to no basic services and infrastructure to host people.

From the beginning of the emergency, Malteser International Americas (MI Americas) monitored the situation through official channels including the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), Reliefweb and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  We also leveraged our network and connected with the Embassy of the Order of Malta in the Bahamas.

Soon after the hurricane made landfall the Government of the Bahamas refused to admit international organizations limiting the immediate relief activities to search and rescue and evacuation activities only. The deployment of MI Americas staff was withheld, and we decided to intervene once search and rescue operations had concluded to support the recovery and reconstruction of the Bahamas.

Two and a half weeks following the onset of Hurricane Dorian, MI Americas staff arrived to assess how we could contribute most efficiently. Following a rapid assessment, we decided to concentrate our efforts on the main island of Abaco. This is where the need was most evident. Few humanitarian organizations had a presence and the community of Marsh Harbour was devastated.

Since the beginning, the Bahamian government has retained control over the emergency response and recovery. This means that electricity, water, transportation and debris removal is being coordinated by the relevant ministries. The population, however, is left to fend for themselves when it comes to housing and the restoration of the economic life of the Island.

People are slowly coming back. Tarps have appeared on top of the few standing buildings replacing roofs, a gas station in town was supplied with a fuel tank, phone towers are partially being repaired, and most importantly, the airport and the seaport are operational. Recently, the prime minister announced that the process of relocating those who are willing to return to Abaco will begin shortly.

In this context, we have identified the following areas to focus our contributions:

• Rebuilding “Every Child Counts” – the only educational facility for children with special needs on Abaco. This institution is one-of-a-kind and has served as an inspiration and as a blueprint for special education programs in the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean. The school’s structures were completely destroyed and the children were evacuated to Nassau, where they are enrolled in larger schools, often without the attention they need. We are working with Every Child Counts to rehabilitate the main structure and provide potable water for the volunteers and the community at-large.

   

• In partnership with the NGO “All Hands and Hearts,” which has a small response team on the island, we are rehabilitating San Francis de Sales, a Catholic school that serves over 300 students. We considered that the school is an ideal institution to rehabilitate as it can quickly and effectively return to its operations. As a Catholic institution, the school also counts on the support of the Archbishop of Nassau and an enthusiastic teaching staff.
• Provision of temporary shelter for families and construction workers engaged in rehabilitation efforts and construction of new housing. Through members of the Order of Malta in Vero Beach, Florida we connected with a charity organization called “Youth on a Mission”, which has been supporting vulnerable communities in Abaco for decades. Working with Youth on a Mission, we will procure, equip and ship several trailers which will be used to shelter returnees rebuilding their homes. Currently, there are no shelter options for these people, and similarly for construction workers, the main limitation for a spontaneous and self-driven reconstruction is the lack of temporary shelter.

*As of 2021, Malteser International Americas no longer funds nor works with All Hands and Hearts, as a result of disturbing allegations regarding All Hands and Hearts’ conduct with volunteers. MI Americas will no longer work with the organization in any capacity.