On the first weekend of October 2015, Hurricane Joaquin made an unexpected visit to the Southern Central Bahamas.  In less than 36 hours, the storm turned into a major hurricane and passed through the islands of Rum Cay, San Salvador, Acklins, Crooked Island, and Long Island, among smaller other cays in the area.  The storm slowed to a meager 3mph and hovered over the islands, bringing Category 4 hurricane force winds and torrential rains.  Combined with the extreme tides of the recent supermoon, flooding was extreme.  Crooked Island was ordered to completely evacuate post-storm due to the extensive damage.

There was a lot of damage to buildings and in many cases entire homes were destroyed.  Hangars and storage buildings have been torn apart. Food stores have been completely washed away.  Utility services went down across the islands, and access to various areas was non-existent.

The public response to the disaster was swift and great, with organizations such as Rotary and Head Knowles taking the charge in organizing disaster relief.  Airlines such as Trans Island Airways stepped up and immediately provided assistance in assessment flights followed by airlift of personnel and supplies.  Personal aircraft, helicopters and boats have been running supplies ranging from bottled water and generators to baby and medical supplies.  Airlift from South Florida with donated supplies has also arrived in Exuma to assist those in need.

TMC and their employees have donated to causes such as Rotary have made personal donations of both funds and items such as mattresses and shovels.

We have already talked with our main steel building supplier, Star Buildings, and will evaluate each request on a case-by-base basis.  We will offer discounted rates and expedited scheduling in order to make sure the rebuild process is as swift as possible.

If there are any specific needs related to the cleanup and restoration (such as spare panels, insulation, trim, gutters, etc) please let us know and we will do what we can to help.

Donations to the Rotary Club of East Nassau’s disaster relief program will get 100% of funds raised directly to those in need.  Please support them and other reputable organizations as we assist our brothers and sisters in the Southern Bahamas.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rotary-hurricane-joaquin-bahamas-relief-fund#/

Photos by Valdez C. Ferguson