(CMR) The Cayman Islands Red Cross is being an island-wide effort to collect monetary funds to assist with the relief efforts in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian continues to devastate the chain of islands.
They are reminding people that monetary donations are best in situations like this because organizing goods is a logistical nightmare. Often the time to collect donations, load a container and ship it to it's intended donation is overly cumbersome. Making funds available to buy supplies closer to home appears to be a more practical exercise.
Donations can be made directly to their Bank of Butterfield account to the details listed below.
Cayman has seen efforts to donate goods previously gone undelivered in remained in containers for years. Matthew Leslie collected goods for Haiti that were placed in containers that never left the Cayman Islands. Last CMR heard he was dipping into them during his election campaign.
Governor Martyn Roper is also making the police helicopter available to assistant in the aftermath according to a joint statement with the Premier, Alden McLaughlin.
The Royal Navy vessel, RFA Mounts Bay is also in route with a helicopter. The crew from that vessel was in Cayman in June carrying out a practice disaster relief exercise.
The governor and premier have pledged to provide humanitarian assistance, which will be coordinated with the Government of the Bahamas, regional partners and the UK under the umbrella of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which, the release said, Cayman is in the process of joining.
“The reports coming from Abaco and Grand Bahama are very concerning and Cayman stands ready to help our friends in the Bahamas in the best way that we can,”
Roper said. “We have made an initial offer to deploy our new helicopter to assist should this be required.
“Being able to access remote communities after an event like this is crucial and storms like Dorian highlight the importance of the investments that the government is making in air operations and disaster management. It is important that any assistance to the Bahamas is properly coordinated with our partners in the region and we are in contact with CDEMA and the UK to ensure this is the case.”
The premier commented,
“I would like to express my sympathy to the government and people of the Bahamas at this very difficult and challenging time. It is important that the countries in the region support each other fully when devastating storms like this threaten the lives, property and livelihoods of our people. Cayman remembers the effects of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and we will do all we can to provide appropriate assistance to the Bahamas.”
Numerous lives have been lost in the islands – the government has not yet issued a final count. Many persons remain unaccounted for at this time. However, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has stated that the RBPF has confirmed five death so far. However, local news sources claim that the count is much higher as bodies are being collected all across Abaco.
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