BAHAMAS HURRICANE DAMAGE UPDATE – SEPT 7TH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. September 7th 2019.
We have had over 70 vessels arrive in the marina today at Old Bahama Bay thanks to the efforts of our team here on the ground in the United States. Until civility and order can be achieved I am here by shutting down operations to OBB Marina. Old Bahama Bay is a privately owned marina and if need be we will turn vessels away. We feel this is the most humane way to continue our operations as we do not want our volunteers staff or country men in the Bahamas, to encounter any accidental harm. Please do not arrive at Old Bahama Bay until further notice thank you.
John MacDonald, President
Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour.
—– 9-7-19
This is in response to the post from Mr. MacDonald, the President of the Association at Old Bahama Bay in West End, Grand Bahama. First of all, I wish to commend the efforts of Old Bahama Bay in facilitating relief efforts for the community of West End. However, there is some incorrect information being circulated that requires clarification. The western seawall in the harbor in Old Bahama Bay is under the exclusive control of the Bahamian government for customs purposes. Any and all boats are free to make use of that western seawall for purposes of clearing customs. Old Bahama Bay and Mr. MacDonald do not control the western seawall within the harbor.
I acknowledge that a great many boats have accessed the Old Bahama Bay marina and are causing crowding. However, our local people have advised that there is congestion, but people are being civil and patient. We request that Mr. McDonald and Old Bahama Bay assist the boats in coming and going in an orderly fashion as opposed to closing the Marina out of frustration. Everything humanly possible should be done to help the Bahamian citizens receive relief efforts that they so desperately need.
—– 9-7-19
After discussing the details of today’s unfortunate events with the Bahamas Government that unfolded at the hands of what we believe was a deliberate Facebook video post to cause chaos when order and direction was in place.Old Bahama Bay will resume hurricane aid operations. The security we had in place could not assure the safety of our staff, US and Bahamian volunteers, and our Bahamas custom agents. The Bahamas Government will be providing an increase police and defense presence that will now guard the entrance to our resort, our beaches, and our marina so we can properly distribute the goods and orderly fashion.
As of 9 am tomorrow morning, we will resume operations.
Thank you
John MacDonald, Old Bahama Bay Resort
——-
We only Temporarily closed the marina for the safety of our staff and those volunteering both US and Bahamian. We have been working closely on a daily basis Bahamas government since before the hurricane made landfall in Grand Bahamas and will continue to do so. The Bahamas government just assured me the Prime Minister’s office are doing their very best to bring us more Defense forces and local police, Along with an increased presence of customs for tomorrow and moving forward. We are hopeful we will be able to regain operations within the next 24 hours.
Thank you
John MacDonald, President
—- 9-7-19
CAN WE PLEASE GET MORE VOLUNTEERS AT THE STUART JET CENTER 2501 SE AVIATION WAY.
The outpouring of the communities is overwhelming.
ALL HANDS ON DECK PLEASE
—- 9-7-2019
Clear shrink wrapping material for wrapping pallets is needed ASAP if anyone has a source that can be delivered to AMERICAN custom yachts in Stuart
— Positive/ happy update:
We crossed yesterday with a boat load of medical supplies, food, water, baby items etc. No one was turning boats around the coast guard thanked us we were there to help when we passed them on their rescue boat 3 different times. Debri ONLY on the coast line nothing out at sea. No shooting looting like some where posting here. The locals were very grateful for us bringing aids and received us with open arms (we made 3 different stops like I mentioned Before). Rescued a local that was stuck in his attic for 2 day and brought them supplies 40 miles from Free Port. No one had been there yet BUT us so they were happy to see us. Keep helping and joining forces everyone please the locals are going to need lots of relief. The house’s are mostly all gone it’s sad to see but they are all in great spirit. Thank you all and safe crossings
🇧🇸. Two Conchs Charters
—
I’d like to make a suggestion about donations, respectfully.
When donating supplies or promoting a drive, please keep in mind that is much more helpful to get bulk items rather than several units of dozens of different things.
When someone shows up with boxes of different things, they have to be sorted not only on the donation site end but also on the receiving end.
But case of tampons can be easily identified, loaded and sent to an area where it can be used best.
Since this is an island effort, some items will need to go by boat while others by air.
SIze and weight must be considered along with priority. A case of OTC medical items will weigh less than water and will be needed much more than paper towels.
Speaking of paper towels… large, inexpensive bulky items should be purchased in bulk using collected funds, not included in donation drives where the cost and labor of moving them outweigh their value.
We really have to consider many factors when it comes to helping . In my experience, people will generally do what you ask of them. So asking for particular items leads to better collections. Having a detailed list gives people a guide to follow.
Example: Pull top canned meats, unscented soaps, Ammonium AD
If you simply say we are accepting donations of medical items, you tend to get all kinds of stuff that may or may not be needed and some of it will even be expired .
One last thing about clothing…. clothing typically is the least wanted thing by people in these situations, aside from underwear, and it also causes the most problems.
No matter how many times you plead for people not to drop off used clothing, they will. And then someone has to determine if it is usable, what sex it applies to and what size it is. This laborious sorting then has to be repeated by whomever receives it on the other end.
Unisex sweatpants/ Tshirts can provide a clean alternative to someone who finds themselves without clothing until they can get what THEY want to wear.
Donation site should state clearly what they will accept and why they won’t and stand pat.
—- Day 4 update. From 9-6-19
Very big day here in the Abacos. The security on the ground has settled down now that much needed aid has arrived to the people.
Most of the crew were ashore in Marsh Harbour clearing roads of debris while the girls visited the clinic and handed out candy to the children lifting spirits.
-Capt Paul ran the islands in the 435 @evergladesboats checking in on Elbow Cay, Man O War, Great Guana and Green Turtle Cay with medics and supplies and doing a general assessment of the communities.
A large majority of the people have been evacuated to Nassau now and the situation on the ground is improving.
Donations are still desperately needed please hit our link in our bio to donate to @yachtaidglobal.
Thank you to all that has helped donate to this mission. @henrodevos
@e3systems
@marine_data_solutions
@yachtaidglobal
@christensenshipyard
@avdenturesportsusa
@funairfun
@cabrinhakites
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.
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#motoryacht #yacht #bahamas #yachting #charteryacht #yachts #myloon #yachtlife #yachtworld #yachtie #luxurylifestyle #luxury #yachtlife #instayacht #livelife #yachtcharter #yachtparty #saltlife #megayacht #superyacht #vacation #holiday #island #boatday #boating #christensen #drone #hurricanedorian #hurricane #bahamastrong
—-
sept 7th 2019 ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️URGENT MESSAGE⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
Atlantic Yacht & Ship, Inc. // Harbor Town Marine can no longer hold anymore donations. Please advise to all to deliver to respective HeadKnowles locations.
If there are any warehouses or location sites that can handle more donations, please inform us and we will direct to you.
new address for Atlantic Yacht & Ship
3101 S. W. 2nd Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315
New drop off starting tomorrow. Will update with new time
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
— #USCGDorian response operations in the Bahamas as of 9 a.m. Friday:
205 people rescued
7 MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters
5 MH-65 Dolphin helicopters
8 cutters
#Dorian
Updates: https://lnks.gd/2/__PD73
— Information on the state of the Abaco Potcakes.
All of the dogs are being Airlifted off the Island to The Bahamas Humane Society in Nassau. It is for the safety of the dogs as well as the Volunteers who have gone above and beyond in securing their safety through Hurricane Dorian. We will assist the BHS going forward. If any other Rescues who have reached out to help with the Abaco Potcakes please contact them directly to arrange Fosters or potential Adopters. Thank you all for your consideration and efforts to help our beloved breed.
—-
Bahamas, we’re still with you. Thank you very much, everyone, for your incredible generosity. Every donation we’ve received so far has significantly helped in our mission to bring relief and aid to our brothers and sisters on Grand Bahama Island—our beloved second home. Together with first responders and volunteers, we were able to provide Bahamian residents with food, water, personal hygiene products, medical equipment, generators, and other desperately-needed supplies. We also welcomed over 1,550 hurricane evacuees aboard our Grand Celebration Humanitarian Cruise ship sailing back to West Palm Beach.
Relief and recovery efforts are far from over though. We still have an urgent call for donations! Please continue sending aid supplies to:
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
Riviera Beach Warehouse
301 Broadway Ave., Bay #7
Riviera Beach, FL 33404
To learn more and for a complete list of supplies needed, please visit www.MissionResolve.org.
#BahamasStrong #HurricaneDorianAid #ReliefEfforts #WeAreOne #EveryBitHelps
— The new owners of Walkers Cay have opened their runway to the government. Supplies can be delivered.
— Today was a very busy day. Disaster relief teams started early making rounds and visiting communities and locations that were confirmed in the need of re-supply or evacuation assistance – Green Turtle Cay, Elbow Cay, Turtle Cay, around Marsh Harbor. The teams delivered supplies of water, food, and basic medicine that were identified as top priority (tetanus shots, insulin, high-blood meds, basic first-aid medical kits, etc.). There’s a lot more to do – they will continue working it each day.
Hydro recon team component was able to clear the approach to the pier at Marsh Harbor and confirm soundings, so Motor Yacht Loon could make its way into the harbor to offload rest of the supplies and thousands of gallons of water that the yacht can produce in just a few hours using its on-board desalination plant. No need for single use plastics or water bottles (there is such a thing as secondary disaster) – the produced water can be moved to the communities in need using large jugs.
Numerous boat owners reached out to us at YachtAid Global asking how they can bring aid to those who need it at Bahamas, and do it safely. Since we typically work with aid collection agencies who can supply us with large quantities (pallets and containers) of aid – we knew we had to do something. Good news is we’re partnering with Chub Cay Resort & Marina to provide storing of aid from smaller boat owners who wish to bring it over from Florida or surrounding areas. We are working with Chub Cay Resort & Marina on establishing a seabridge corridor to take the prioritized aid from there to North Bahamas aboard one of the larger yachts based on the demand for individual items. If you have a smaller boat and wish to bring some aid to North Bahamas, please reach out to Chub Cay Resort & Marina directly at (786)209-0025 to give them heads up.
All boaters & yachties: taking your boat all the way to North Bahamas right now is not advisable. The US Coast Guard issued a clear notice of significant risks approaching those islands due to high risk of debris in the water, sunken vessels, and destroyed or missing aids to navigation and pier facilities. There is also risk of chemical spills and changes to the topography/hydrology in ports and marinas from the prolonged winds and storm surge of the Category 5 hurricane. More to read can be found here: https://content.govdelivery.
M/Y LOON and other large vessels are guided by specific intelligence and information from the ground team that’s there to support them and ensure their safe arrival and departure. That’s why it was so important for the advance team to go in quickly and early just as the storm slowed down a bit, in order to establish needed intelligence and provide ability to act quickly. That is what we do well and why we work side by side with other key partner organizations to make it possible. Please consider supporting us to continue this important work for the disaster relief and recovery at North Bahamas: http://yachtaidglobal.org/
– 9-5-19
BAHAMA RELIEF UPDATE
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR TODAY
BEFORE THIS GETS LOST IN MY DEBRIEF.
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS AT THE JET CENTER FOR A TEAM MEETING TMRW MORNING AT 7:30 PLEASE.
WE HAVE WHEELS UP ON ASSETS BY 8AM.
JAMES JOLLY OUR LOGISTICS COMPUTER COORDINATOR FROM 2016 WAS ABLE TO MOVE WORK AROUND TO HELP TODAY BUT HES ONLY AVAILABLE FOR A SHORT TIME TMRW. I NEED A VOLUNTEER WITH A LAP TOP TO MEET WITH HIM THEN TAKE OVER FOR REMAINDER OF DAY TMRW.
We had a monumental effort today out of the Stuart Jet Center at 2501 SE Aviation Way. Lots of moving parts. Lots of ups and downs dealing with Logistics but we were able to provide some immediate relief to Grand Cay with two Helo loads and a couple of Helo loads to west end and a load to Treasure Cay.
NONE OF THIS EFFORT IS POSSIBLE
1)without our pilots donating time
2)owners of planes donating time
3)donations from the public to take to the islands
4)donations for fuel to fund the projects
I THANK YOU WE THANK YOU AND THE HUGS I GOT ON GRAND CAY TODAY I CAN PERSONALLY TELL YOU THE BAHAMIAN PEOPLE THANK YOU.
hundreds of people have been calling and asking about Grand Cay and I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get back to everyone. So please share this information with anyone who needs info about Grand Cay. I’ll be shutting down after I eat and shower.
First we had a generous offer for a light load light to grand cay this morning. And then I flew with the crew with a 6,000lb payload to grand cay today.
What I can tell you from what I observed.
1)the ocean looked fairly clean I personally didn’t see any debris
2)the bank on our route looked clean for a while
3)when we got within 9 miles of Walkers the water looked like cement.
4)I could not determine depth or shoaling
5)I could not asses the channel because of water clarity
6)I didn’t see any docks expect the concrete town dock.
7)I hugged it out with Brooks LOL and we talked for the 2 minutes I had after we unloaded the HELO
8)everyone is alive
9)no one injured
10)he said “they cleared the channel”
11)he said “they cleared around the town dock”
12)he asked for Plywood as there is significant structural damage to many places
13)we took a bunch of water, poweraide, food, paper goods, hygiene products, tarps, nails, hammers, chainsaws and so much more.
14)I don’t know but will assume gas and gas cans may be important at this point to run stuff, generators, more food and water, and maybe a lift pump that can run of generator if they have bulk fuel anywhere. We can’t carry fuel by air. This is going to be a long process for them and all the Bahamas.
I wish I Had more information but because of the hot unload and fuel we couldn’t hang out. We do have a plan for tmrw for another drop but the time is undisclosed.
My prayer for today is that someone will set up shade for the hundreds of people waiting on the boat docks in the baking sun for days, afraid to lose their spot in line, at the boat docks and airfields on the abacco islands.
Those who have resources and connections are going in and out via charter flights (and not even loading up every flight to the abaccos w supplies) checking on property, assessing the damage, reporters and gov. workers making assessments and flying back and forth….and those without money or connections wait and wait and wait on scalding sun w minimal food and water.
Katrina-like nightmare.
So many helping so much and yet so much need and so many not doing all they can to help the poorest ones.
I want to learn more about the general Haitian illegal immigrant situation in the Bahamas. I’m sure it’s super complex and has similarities to the crises we are facing at our own border.
Lord, help each of us w $ margin In our lives to know that we are called by you to live more and more simply, so that others may simply live.
Guide us in our giving, how to empower people to move forward in their own independence, which organizations to partner w for the long haul, where ur asking to make uncomfortable, even “risky”, sacrifices to increase our empowering giving to those who just need a leg up in this harsh world that often promises equal treatment regardless of color of skin, nation of origin, or socio-economic status, but almost never delivers it.
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