AHAH Monthly Program Update - The Bahamas (January 2022)

THE BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE JANUARY 2022

TOTAL IMPACT 2,478

LIVES IMPACTED

690

VOLUNTEERS

13,927

VOLUNTEER DAYS

253

JOBS COMPLETED

Current Activities We’re delighted to announce our Bahamas Extension Program began in late November, and our team has been busy repairing and rebuilding homes devastated by Hurricane Dorian. More than two years have passed, yet there remains a high level of need as Dorian impacted more than 75% of all homes on Great Abaco Island.

Our goal is to assist 17-20 households by making resilient repairs to their homes. The scopes of work can be divided into three areas: roofing, interior response and interior rebuild. Roof repair and replacement work are one of the highest and more expensive needs for Abaco residents, so we’re continuing our Resilient Roof Repair & Rebuild Project on a number of these homes. We’re also conducting response work, including mucking/gutting, debris removal, and mold sanitation work in homes to prepare them for additional support.

Finally, we are supporting under resourced families with long-awaited interior repairs and the installation of secure doors and windows to bring homes up to a liveable standard.

Community Stories We are currently working on doors, windows and interior repairs on the home of Mr. Gary Lewis, a teacher at Every Child Counts School (rebuilt by the AHAH in 2021). Mr. Lewis lost his home in Hurricane Dorian and has been living in temporary housing for more than two years.

Mr. Lewis continues teaching at Every Child Counts, making a lasting impact on students with disabilities as they grow into young adults.

He radiates warmth and passion even when facing his own adversity, say the staff and volunteers who have had the good fortune to know him. We are honored to be working for such an inspirational person, and we look forward to turning over the keys to Mr. Lewis in the coming weeks.

allhandsandhearts.org

Photos: (Top) The All Hands and Hearts base on Grand Abaco; (Left) Volunteer working on the interior repairs of Mr. Lewis’ home

Disaster Profile In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm in The Bahamas with wind speeds in excess of 185 mph, lashing the Bahamian islands of Abaco (pop. ~17,200) and Grand Bahama (pop. ~51,000). Dorian’s traveling speed slowed to 1 mph over Grand Bahama, prolonging the island’s exposure to a life-threatening storm surge of 18-23 feet above normal tide levels. Over 76,000 people were affected, and 10,000 children were displaced from schools. Dorian is the strongest hurricane on record for The Bahamas and tied a record for the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall.

Our Work

Photo: Volunteers working on interior home repairs

We have been supporting the communities of Great Abaco since Hurricane Dorian devastated the island in 2019. In addition to clearing hurricane wreckage and putting roofs on homes, to date we have reconstructed eight school campuses culminating with the completion of Little Darlings Academy in the summer of 2021. 1,300 students have been provided with a safe, disaster-resilient and engaging place to learn and thrive. The immense support from The TK Foundation this fall has enabled us to remain in the community, where we are now intensifying our focus to the lagging housing recovery. Our decision was two-fold: 1) schools have been greatly supported by the government and non-government organizations, whereas home recovery had been neglected, and 2) Bahamian government funds have been depleted and the cost of home repairs is not commensurate with local salary. For more than two years, many homeowners have not been able to return home.

About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure.

Our Partners in The Bahamas

We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row.

This year only seven percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.

info@allhandsandhearts.org