Volunteering for Hurricane Relief Efforts in the Bahamas

On September 1st 2019, a category five hurricane passed through the northern Bahamas. For 24 hours, the hurricane- the strongest to EVER hit landfall there- stalled out over Abaco Island in particular, pummeling the island with 185 mile-per-hour winds and a 25 foot storm surge. By the time the hurricane passed on to other parts of the Bahamas, more than 80% of the buildings on Abaco Island were damaged. An untold number of lives were lost- as much as 25% of the population of Abaco are Haitian refugees, who are not counted by the Bahamian government- and an estimated $3 billion of infrastructure was damaged.

Homes, cars, shipping containers, and boats were tossed around in the storm

An organization I volunteer with, Team Rubicon, was one of the first to arrive to provide immediate aid. Less than a week after the deadly hurricane hit, Team Rubicon had a medical team on site, and an advance team of sawyers there to help clear roads and search for survivors. A further call for volunteers went out, and my husband Chris joined up and was sent with Wave 3, from September 27-October 8. For two weeks he cut down trees and other debris, mucked out houses, tarped roofs, and assisted with World Central Kitchen, who were feeding over 6,000 meals daily on the island of Grand Abaco.

Chris whips up a huge pan full of protein, veggies, and rice with World Central Kitchen

Another call for volunteers went out, and I signed up as well. Chris came home and gave me some of his gear, and on November 5, I boarded a flight from Austin, through Fort Lauderdale, and on to Nassau. After one night in Nassau, I arrived on Abaco Island, ready to work. The flights for me and over 50 other volunteers for Wave 6 were donated by JetBlue and SouthWest Airlines, with several other corporations donating miles, dollars, and tools needed for our work there.

For the next two weeks, we slept in hollowed-out ravaged school classrooms. The building had been swept by the storm surge, and an earlier team had ripped out all the drywall, the ceilings, the classroom materials, and carpets. They salvaged what materials they could, tarped the roof, and used the space for our base of operations for the months of October and November. We slept on cots, with mosquito netting hung from the bare rafters. Out back we had two outdoor shower stations set up, and five portajohns. We ate MRE’s (meals-ready-to-eat) for breakfast and lunch, and had a hot meal provided by World Central Kitchen for dinner each night.

We were divided into eight or so teams, some with hand tools such as hammers, crowbars, shovels, and drills, and two teams with heavy equipment such as skid steers and earth movers. Our teams mucked out houses, carrying out everything from toys to clothing, furniture to appliances, baseboards to crown molding. Once the house was empty, we cleaned it as best as we could, and assessed the roof (if there was one). We put tarps or plywood up, which should last temporarily, and families were able to start moving back into their living spaces and begin the process of starting anew.

A homeowner who asked for our help. Photo posted with his permission.

All the waterlogged materials removed, the homeowner can now move back into his house. Photo posted with his permission.

I worked several days in the World Central Kitchen. What an amazing organization! Every day the chefs, and their island assistants, slice, dice, mince, stir, cook, and serve over 6,000 meals. Since they arrived in the Bahamas (before the storm even arrived), they have distributed just over 2 million meals. With no grocery stores, produce, fresh meat, or dairy for the months of October and September, the residents of Abaco had no other options besides World Food Program and Red Cross emergency rations. The World Central Kitchen, founded by Chef Jose Andres, promises “a hot plate of food when it’s needed”, combining both nutrition and deliciousness to those in need. From Puerto Rico, to Haiti, to the Bahamas, to the wildfires of California, this organization of “food first reponders” is getting the job done on a daily basis.

Unloading a delivery of produce to World Central Kitchen

All too soon our time in the Bahamas was over. It was time to pack it up and head home. Every day we worked on Abaco Island, at least one- most days more- islander came up to me or my group and thanked us for being there and helping. At times it felt like the work we were doing was just a drop in the bucket, but hearing the heartfelt thanks from dozens of hurricane survivors made every aching muscle, mosquito bite, and bump and bruise worth it. I know that we couldn’t help every one of the 17,000 inhabitants of Abaco, but I also know that we enabled dozens, if not hundreds, of people to return to their homes and face the future in the Bahamas.

Proud to be a “Grayshirt” with Team Rubicon

If you would like to donate to Team Rubicon, or another organization that helps with disaster relief, here’s an article about various teams that are assisting Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts.

*Also, a huge thanks to the dozens of other NGO’s and organizations that have responded to the crisis in the Bahamas, including but not limited to Samaritan’s Purse, All Hands and Hearts, NetHope, 4Ocean, USAid, HARP, Americares, Heart to Heart, Telecom Sans Frontiers, Sol Relief, and Catholic Relief Services.

**Don’t worry, we did get a day off to get out and see some of Abaco Island and nearby Hopetown on Elbow Cay. My team went to the beach and had some drinks and dinner at a local restaurant that has now opened up on a limited basis. I’m happy to report that the natural beauty of the Bahamas is still amazing.