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I know everyone wants to help the Bahamas post-Dorian, but STOP and take a breath and think carefully. There are only three organizations I know of that are clear via NEMA to travel to the Bahamas with essential medical personnel and engineers right now and even they have to stage in Nassau. Sea and airspace are currently closed to all traffic but Coast Guard. Additionally, unless you are part of one of these groups, you will have to personally pay duties/VAT on everything you bring over as a donation. So just because you own a boat/plane and want to help/be a hero/take pics of the damage does not mean you should go maverick-ing off by yourself. If you have a boat or plane capable of going, please contact YachtAid Global, Hope 4 Hopetown or Key West Cares (linked below) and let them know - they have authorization from the Bahamian government to move ASAP and you need to be directed based on need and safety.
Please read the following post directly from the Bahamian government as posted in Key West Cares. If you’re in the Keys and have services that can be offered, please come to the 1:30 meeting at Key West City Hall tomorrow (Wednesday).
I’ll be editing this post as more info becomes available so check back.
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Reputable donation & volunteer organizations (NO CLOTHING, see comments for what they need):
Key West Cares
Hope 4 Hope Town - Dorian Assistance for Northern Bahamas (DANB)
YachtAidglobal.org or YachtAid Global
Reputable donations drop points (NO CLOTHING):
Winn Dixie in Key West
Keys Animal Care Center (Pet supplies)
Tropix Shipping - 5610 NW 12th Ave #203, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Jetscape Alpha - 350 SW 34th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
Information pages:
Lisa Miletti’s The Keys Hardest Hit, After Hurricane Dorian
Reputable GoFundMe campaigns:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Hope4HopeTown…
https://www.gofundme.com/f/headknowles-emergency-funds…
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IMPORTANT FOR BOATS From the Association of Bahamas Marinas:
We have been receiving reports of people from the US trying to boat to the Abacos to help with relief efforts. Under no circumstances should any private vessel try and reach the islands at this time. The current US and Bahamian government efforts are to get people OUT of the impacted areas of the Abacos and Grand Bahama. There is tons of debris floating and under the water, there is nowhere to tie up, there is are no warehousing facilities for goods delivered, roads on the islands are NOT passable and communications with the islands are still at a bare minimum.
We understand there is a strong desire to take action and help these communities and the offers of assistance and support have been overwhelming.
Our goal is to consolidate as many efforts under the smallest number of umbrella organizations as possible in order to increase buying power and decrease the number of vessels heading to the islands with supplies. ... See more
Lia Head-Rigby HeadKnowles :: Emergency Funds A little background info; what started out as a small group of people on the Facebook page HeadKnowles, founded ... See more
