On September 1st and 2nd, Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas, the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the nation’s history. For almost twenty-four hours the Bahamas were battered with category five winds, rain, and storm surge before the hurricane finally began to weaken. The level of destruction is unprecedented; thousands of homes and buildings have been completely leveled, and infrastructure and transportation routes have been severely impacted with damages estimated upwards of $7 billion. At least forty three deaths have been reported, however, the death toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts begin.
Humanity First USA and Humanity First Canada, in collaboration with PAHO-WHO, have sent a joint EMT1 team of disaster first responders to the region. The team is providing emergency medical care to affected communities. Currently, the team is meeting with the Ministry of Health in Nassau to receive their assignments and will head to Marsh Harbour, Abaco.
The team is carrying emergency medical response medicine, relief supplies and a desalination unit which can produce almost one thousand liters of drinking water a day for our team and the local community. The team will be 100% self sufficient on the field which is a requirement of PAHO for EMT1 teams. As of today, more than ten members are on the ground coordinating relief efforts while several more doctors and nurses will be joining them over the next few days. All logistical efforts are being coordinated by two teams running the Humanity First command centers in Miami, USA, and Canada.
