The Aftermath of Hurricane Dorian

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Reaching its peak earlier this month, Category 5 cyclone Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Caribbean and parts of the southeastern United States coastline. Recorded as the second-most powerful hurricane to ever strike the Atlantic Ocean, it devastated whole islands and left fifty-four confirmed dead, with the toll still rising.

A house, completely devastated, after Hurricane Dorian

The island hit the hardest by Dorian was Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. “With approximately 70 percent of the homes underwater, we anticipate tremendous social and economic dislocation and disruption in the short term,” said Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest. With 185 mph winds, Dorian decimated entire towns, claiming forty-eight lives and leaving many homeless or missing.

One of Great Abaco Island’s most memorable features were its beaches with swimming pigs. When my family and I vacationed there a few years ago, we got to play with, swim with, and feed the pigs. Although their fate is still unknown, it is likely that they did not survive the storm. The swimming pigs of Abaco will be sorely missed.

Some of the pigs that lived in Great Abaco Island

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina were also affected by Dorian. With the hurricane then considered a Category 3 storm, these states faced heavy rain, strong wind gusts, and damaging tornadoes. Some communities in North and South Carolina were even ordered to evacuate. As of right now, there are four confirmed American fatalities linked to Dorian.

Houses and streets are completely flooded for weeks after the hurricane

Now, weeks after the storm’s rampage came to a close, multiple Dorian relief efforts are underway. For example, a group of celebrity tennis players will play in a three-day tournament called the Baha Mar Cup to raise money for victims of Dorian in the Bahamas. Additionally, Vineyard Vines is donating thirty percent of the proceeds from its Bahamas Dorian relief t-shirts to ongoing restoration efforts.

Undoubtedly, it will take a very long time to rebuild the islands destroyed by Dorian. But the donations and support from these organizations is a good place to start. You can read more about different ways to help by looking at the resources listed here.