Bahamas - Long-Term Recovery - A Day in the Life of an Abaconian Post-Dorian

It's hard to believe that Hurricane Dorian hit over a year and a half ago. And, while so much has been accomplished, there is still so much more work to be done.  Our local estimate for Green Turtle Cay and Marsh Harbour is that less than a quarter of the homes are inhabitable.  The local economy and tourism have been hit hard, not only due to the devastation of Dorian, but also due to COVID-19.  This leaves many without a roof and very little to no income at all.  While many locals are ready to start rebuilding their homes, most are left in limbo as they wait for work to be able to make the money to support their renovations.

Over a year after Dorian made landfall, very few businesses are up and running.  Maxwell's, the local grocery and lumber store, is up and running, but the goods available for purchase are much more expensive than in the States, translating to astronomical costs to renovate and rebuild homes.  In town, there are only a few gas pumps available for residents to use which are usually accompanied by extremely long lines.  To help make ends meet and fill others' needs, many residents are selling clothes and drugstore items out of their homes and garages. The homes that are inhabitable are far from complete.  Many of the homes still have tarps on the roof or are covered with roofing membranes but still are without shingles. Many homes still have no windows.

The residents receive very little help from the government, but they are resilient and choose to focus on what has been done as opposed to what needs to be done.  Most residents in need of rebuilding are not looking to complete their homes immediately, they are simply looking to get to the next step in the process. 

Here is a recap of what Sol Relief has accomplished thus far in our long-term recovery efforts in the Bahamas:

• 72+ homes rebuilt to include labor and/or materials for mold mitigation, drywall replacement, windows and roof repairs/replacement. (Special consideration was given to families with elderly residents, children, multi-generational families and those with medical conditions.)
• 4 new construction homes completed from ground up and a 5th is underway. 
• In conjunction with the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA), we recently broke ground on the Abaco Community Center and Hurricane Shelter which is scheduled to be completed by this summer. Sol Relief is funding this project along with two other donors and has played an integral role in the planning and design of the structure.
• In 2020, we received in-kind donations of over $234,000 of waterproof roofing membranes from Polyglass USA to provide over 300 homes with weatherproof roofs.
• To complete as many roofs as possible prior to the 2021 hurricane season, we partnered with two other nonprofits, All Hands And Hearts (AHAH) and The Rotary of Nassau, to distribute and apply the Polyglass materials to homes that were ready for the materials.