At the request of the Bahamian Ministry of Health (MoH), International Medical Corps is deploying emergency medical teams to Grand Bahama island to provide urgently needed mobile medical services. We will provide immediate outpatient healthcare as we continue to assess the most critical needs for the population of approximately 51,000 people, including medical care, medicine, and water, sanitation and hygiene. Our teams are seeking your support to expand our response and address the gaps to support the women, men and children most in need.
Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas on Sunday, September 1, making landfall at Elbow Cay, Abaco Islands as a Category 5 hurricane. With sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, gusts up to 220 mph and storm surges as high as 23 feet, the storm was the worst ever recorded to hit the Bahamas.
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) notes: “Hurricane Dorian affected the north-western Bahamas islands for an approximate total of 68 hours, with the southern eye-wall planted over Grand Bahama for about 30 hours. The unpredictability and unprecedented nature of this hurricane is also record-making.” As of September 6, nearly the entire islands of both Grand Bahama and Abaco are still without power.
We’ve also received a request from the North Carolina Primary Care Association, and we are now working with them to determine how we can best support their response needs.
We thank you for your support, which will help us address the unparalleled level of damage in the Bahamas, and the plight of its people.
