It’s impossible for me to wrap my mind around the devastation in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian. the worst I’ve ever been through in terms of hurricanes was Hurricane Isabelle in 2003. By the time it reached the Washington DC area, it was downgraded to a tropical storm, but I still remember what, to me, was a scary night listening to the rain and wind pounding my house. I can’t even think of what it need to have been like to go through 24+ hours of a category 5 storm.
Humane society of Grand Bahama
I have been following the Humane society of Grand Bahama updates on their Facebook page during and considering that the storm, and the stories are absolutely gut-wrenching. built on a 10 foot rise above the ocean, the shelter seemed like an unlikely place for flooding. then the 20 foot storm surge hit. At one point, the shelter workers that stayed to care for the animals were up to their necks in water. They had to climb to a crawl space in the ceiling for about two hours, before they were able to swim to safety when the water receded. 156 dogs and cats survived, but tragically, 113 died. The Miami Herald featured a in-depth account of what the shelter workers who stayed with the animals went through, and the daunting task the shelter is facing to recover from this tragedy.
You can help support their recovery efforts by donating through their website.
Good Karma Pet Rescue of South Florida
Good Karma Pet Rescue of South Florida set up a fundraiser on Facebook to help their Bahamian neighbors. They’re asking for money, but also for food and supplies. For a lot more information, check out their fundraiser page on Facebook.
Follow your heart and your head when donating
Many other worthy organizations from all over the country have mobilized to help the animals affected by the storm. a lot of organizations will probably need money rather than goods. With floods blocking off lots of roads, as the logistics of storing donations may overwhelm organizations whose volunteers are already stretched to the limit. Also, keep in mind that there is going to be a long term need for donations for months and possibly even years, so take that into consideration when planning your donations.
Follow your heart when it pertains to deciding what type of organization you want to donate to, but then use your head and check out the charity before you donate. Is the charity recommended by a trusted source? You can also use web sites like Charity Navigator or GuideStar to check out the track record of charities, but be aware that lots of small animal rescue organizations will not be provided on these directories. That doesn’t make them a bad donation choice, you’ll just have to do a little a lot more homework.
I like to donate directly to smaller, local organizations rather than large national ones, so I can be sure that my donations are used for the intended purpose.
Ingrid King
Table of Contents
Humane society of Grand Bahama
Good Karma Pet Rescue of South Florida
Follow your heart and your head when donating
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9 comments on how to help the animals in the Bahamas
Petique says:
September 17, 2019 at 2:19 am
My heart goes to those humans and fur pals affected by Dorian. It’s high time that we unite to secure the environment and lessen the effects of climate change
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Tipper Bayley says:
September 9, 2019 at 4:02 pm
Thank you for the support on the checking out the charities. I support lots of pet charities and living in Florida, I am aware of the risk to everyone’s cats or dogs from these storms. I like your site. The information is valuable in helping me to understand my special family members more.
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Maria Maldonado says:
September 8, 2019 at 11:26 am
Thanks so much for posting this! I will pass it along to our supporters.
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Sandy Weinstein says:
September 8, 2019 at 11:03 am
i am in nc, and i just cant comprehend the devastation. part of nc are devastated as well as are other areas along the coast. i am thankful that it just missed me, because i was very close to the cut off. i look at the pictures and i just cant imagine. i have been to the Bahamas lots of times and it is not a affluent area. i remember leaving toiletries, etc for the people. i heard on the news this am, their is no way to really rebuild areas, it will take a bulldozer and start anew, then there is the problem what to make with the destruction, they dont want to dump on the stunning waters. i always worry abt donating to large organizations b/c i never feel that will really get all of the money, supplies, etc. like it has happened before.
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Stephanie B says:
September 8, 2019null