Hurricane Dorian leaves behind massive destruction in the Bahamas
UNICEF and partners are bringing relief for children and families impacted by the storm.
Hurricane Dorian left many families in the Bahamas facing devastation. Thousands of children were exposed to the impact of the hurricane, with many in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. UNICEF moved quickly to provide life-saving supplies for children and families in need. Read more about UNICEF's response.
On 1 September 2019, Category-5 Hurricane Dorian hit Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, leaving behind a path of destruction unprecedented in this Caribbean country. In and around Marsh Harbour, schools and hospitals were flattened; houses and roads collapsed; and cars and boats were left hanging in trees.
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How is UNICEF responding?
On 7 September, UNICEF announced the arrival to Nassau, Bahamas of a plane carrying nearly 1.5 tons of lifesaving supplies to help provide access to safe water for over 9,500 children and families left reeling by Hurricane Dorian.
This first supply shipment of UNICEF humanitarian items was freighted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and included over 400,000 water purification tablets, several 5,000-liters tanks for at least 2,000 people and 1,000 jerry cans.
UNICEF also deployed staff in the Bahamas to assess the needs of the most vulnerable children and families. The first responder team was composed of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection, emergency coordination and communications experts. Despite the extremely challenging logistic situation on the ground, UNICEF was able to reach Abaco island to assess the extent of the destruction to help inform its humanitarian response plan.
On 12 September, with the support of UNICEF, the Government of the Bahamas began registering approximately 10,000 students displaced by Hurricane Dorian to enroll them back as soon as possible in safe schools that have not been affected by the natural disaster.
