Eleven containers to be shipped to the Bahamas

“Very soon about containers will be shipped to the Bahamas,” said Jerry Slijngaard, coordinator at the National Coordination Center for Disaster Control (NCCR). The containers have been filled with water, juice, milk, blankets, hammocks, rice and first aid kits. Citizens reportedly donated water and clothes although the NCCR had specifically asked people to refrain from donating clothes. Several churches and political parties also made donations. The goods will be shipped to the Bahamas by a cargo ship. Slijngaard could not indicate specifically when the shipment will leave for the Bahamas. Hurricane Dorian slammed into the far northwestern Bahamas on Sept. 1, with maximum sustained winds up to 185 mph. The monster storm then stalled and continued to lash the region for nearly two days. While the rest of the island nation remained unscathed and open for business, large swaths of Grand Bahama and the Abacos were virtually destroyed.

Total losses from Dorian have been estimated at $7 billion. The government of the Bahamas announced last week that the hurricane response efforts were transitioning from immediate needs to more long-term recovery. The death toll from the storm remains at 51, but 1,300 people are listed as missing. Bahamas Health Minister Duane Sands said last week that it might never be known what happened to them, Eyewitness News reported. The 700-island nation is in mourning after the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. But with the country dependent upon tourism, travel officials say that many hotels and resorts are open and eager for visitors.