News

Hurricane Dorian – Malteser International prepares emergency relief measures

Support for the Bahamas and along the American eastern seaboard

New York/Cologne, 9 September 2019 

The devastation wreaked by Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian has left death and destruction in its wake in the Bahamas. Around 30,000 homes in the islands of Grand Bahama, Abaco and New Providence have been destroyed. The official death toll stands at 45 people, but thousands are still missing and information is being updated hourly.

Over 70,000 people are in immediate need of life-saving assistance, with urgent needs of food, water, shelter and medicine, the United Nations says.

Malteser International, the worldwide relief agency of the Order of Malta, is preparing emergency relief. Ravi Tripptrap, Executive Director of Malteser International Americas: “The airports are still closed, initial relief shipments are currently coming by boat and helicopter. Hopefully, the airports will reopen in one or two days and we will be able to fly in relief supplies. We are in close contact with the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and together we will be supporting relief efforts.“

Relief action for areas of the United States

In the United States, Malteser International is also preparing to provide relief to people in the path of Hurricane Dorian as the storm hits the south eastern coastal communities in Georgia, the Carolinas and Florida, with millions of people have been ordered to evacuate as authorities combat heavy rainfall and high storm surges.
“Our teams in the USA are coordinating with community partners and the Catholic Church network to prepare for emergency relief to support affected communities,” said Tripptrap. 

Photo © REUTERS / Dante Carrer