Cruise Lines Continue To Aid Bahamas Relief Fund

On Sunday 1 September Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas with winds of up to 185mph and battered the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama for two days before moving towards the US.

The official death toll currently stands at 30, however, this expected to rise further.

The International Red Cross fears around 13,000 properties were severely damaged or destroyed on Grand Bahama and the Abacos. According to UN officials 70,000 people to be in need of immediate need of aid.

Health Minister, Duane Sands, said he believed the storm’s final death toll would rise substantially and added:

Let me say that I believe the number will be staggering. I have never lived through anything like this and I don’t want to live through anything like this again. The public needs to prepare for unimaginable information about the death toll and human suffering.

Hurricane Dorian has reached the coasts of South and North Carolina and has now downgraded to a category one hurricane, leaving thousands of homes without power and mass evacuation warnings.

A number of cruise companies have pledged their support to the Bahamas to help with recovery efforts.

• MSC Group, parent of MSC Cruises has become the latest cruise company to pledge their support. They have promised to provide temporary shelters to people left homeless as well as making its ships available for relief cargo from the US to the Freeport and Marsh Harbour (Abaco) container terminals.
• Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas is delivering 10,000 meals and 10,000 bottles of water. The cruise company is also sending container ships with emergency supplies including 47,000 bottles of water, 362 generators, 250 tarpaulins, 25,000 square feet of plywood, 55,400 nappies and 7,500 pounds of pet food.
• Carnival Pride and Carnival Liberty are being diverted next week to deliver food, water and relief supplies in addition to an agreement to run shipments of aid by container ship.
• Departing Miami on Thursday 5 Spetember, Norwegian Breakaway headed to Nassau, Great Harbor Cay and Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay with supplies donated by the company and its employees, in addition to items collected by the City of Miami, Baptist Health South Florida, the 305 Gives Back foundation and other Miami-based organisations.

So far, The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has raised over $24,000. 

In Florida, major attractions in Orlando – Walt Disney World Parks, Universal Studios Resort and Sea World Parks – have all resumed operations along with the city’s airport.