State of the Island After Dorian

This past February , the Sailing Academy Winter Flotilla stopped off at Green Turtle Cay and enjoyed a lush tropical paradise. It is hard to believe this is the same place we visited then! Although the island fared better than some of the other islands, Dorian left the community in shambles. 

It looks like every structure sustained some level of damage. Some homes were totally leveled with nothing left but the foundation. Others had parts of the home ripped off and some lost just the roof. Water damage destroyed everything inside structures that were still standing. All the drywall, paneling and insulation needs to be ripped out to bare framing. Then after treating for mold, rebuilding can begin. Needless to say, all carpets, mattresses and furniture need to be ripped out and thrown away due to water and mold damage. 

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We must wear respirators when going into many of the homes to work to protect us from the mold spores. 

As far as boats, very few of them survived. Even the vessels that had been hauled out and strapped down with hurricane straps sustained major damage. No boats in the water survived. They either sank or were thrown up on land.

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There is still no power or running water on the island. You can hear the whir of generators to keep things up and running. But at $5.00 per gallon for gas, few can afford to run their generators more than a few hours a day. The water storage tanks were contaminated with saltwater so the only water available for drinking is shipped in bottled water or from relief groups with sea water desalinater systems that are providing water to locals. 

After surveying the damage, now it is time to get to work. I am grateful for the volunteers and relief groups that are on the island. It is a little overwhelming when I think about where to begin. Every home and business needs help. The entire economy is based on tourism, so without an influx of vacationers, there are few jobs and business owners have few customers. I can’t imagine how long it will take before the island is ready for visitors. For now, we are just jumping to help where we can.