The human cost of Hurricane Dorian which devastated the Bahamas has personal significance for one of our clergy, who grew up on the islands.
As a child, Revd Ruth Dowson, assistant curate at All Saints’, Bingley, lived in Nassau and still has strong links with Elbow Cay, just off the main island of Abaco and told how many of her family’s friends are still suffering after the havoc wreaked by the huge winds.
“For 9 years, during the 1990s, my parents lived in Abaco, most of that time on a small island off the main island of Abaco, called Elbow Cay.
"The main settlement on Elbow Cay is called Hope Town, and it was like paradise,” Revd Ruth said.
“Our family still has close friends there that people of my generation would call Auntie and Uncle – in reality, these people are closer to me than most of my blood relatives.
“Hope Town has been devastated.
“My Aunt Bobbie, who is 80-years-old messaged me two weeks after the hurricane had passed, the first time she could get online, to tell me that she and Uncle Vernon had been evacuated to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. Why? Because their home had been destroyed.
“She told me all of mainland Abaco is a disaster with only 5 per cent of buildings remaining. “St James’ Methodist Church (where my parents worked for 7 years) survived, except for a toppled bell tower,” said Revd Ruth.
“In Abaco, as the storm surge covered the whole island, Marsh Harbour International Airport was left 6ft under water. Three weeks later, the airport is still under water, and is closed indefinitely. My old school friend, Vivian, who was my best friend when I was 7 years old, is the Deputy General Manager of the airport.
“There has been no communication from her since, as her cousins leave messages on Facebook for her to get in touch. There are several thousand people missing, just in Abaco, and across Abaco and Grand Bahama islands almost 80,000 people made homeless.
“And many bodies will never be found, though the search continues as the floodwaters recede. There are no shops left, no banks, no ATMs. There is no fresh water, no food, no power and even small boats cannot safely navigate the debris-choked waters, and relief supplies can only come in by sea.
“None of the families or businesses have insurance, so there are ‘GoFundMe’ pages set up by each family.
For Hope Town, the Hope Town Volunteer Fire & Rescue is coordinating responses to rebuilding the island, along with donations of goods, services and money,” Revd Ruth said.
She has provided links for anyone wishing to donate to the rebuilding of Hope Town or to the main Bahamas relief fund:
For Grand Bahama, donations: