After lumbering along western Atlantic shorelines for two full weeks, Hurricane Dorian is finally moving out into the northern Atlantic Ocean. World Renew is welcoming financial donations for its response efforts in the areas of most need in the Bahamas, the U.S. Carolinas, and the eastern provinces of Canada.

Internationally, Dorian dealt a wicked blow to the northern Bahamas in late August, when the storm hovered for 48 devastating hours, flattening homes, businesses, and vegetation in Marsh Harbor and across Abaco Island. At least 45 Bahamian citizens have died and 70,000 people are homeless at this time. With the international airport destroyed, aid and evacuation routes have so far been established by sea, causing congestion and delays.

World Renew will respond in the Bahamas by supporting local recovery organizations and working with our international partners to meet people’s most urgent as well as long-term needs. World Renew’s disaster response staff says that, “The Bahamas is in a state of extreme emergency. Please pray for safety for emergency responders and those who have lost loved ones.

They also request that those who want to help in the Bahamas “Do not ship in-kind donation items to the islands unless they are specifically requested by a reputable responding organization, like World Renew.” For more information on how financial donations help people in need, rather than food and clothing, click here

In the U.S., North and South Carolina residents were affected by a Dorian as a weaker Category 2 storm, with flooding doing the most damage on Okracoke Island where 200 residents were in temporary shelters and 45,000 are without power.

World Renew regional disaster managers living in South Carolina are coordinating with local officials and organizations that report that wind damage and flooding there are being handled by local resources. In North Carolina, tornadoes that formed along the east rim of the hurricane damaged several communities.

World Renew is developing plans to send volunteers to North Carolina to help with clean up starting the week of Sept. 19, 2019. To help with clean up this fall, click here to submit your name and availability. To find out more about volunteering, click here

In eastern Canada, Dorian’s Category 1 wind and rain blew down trees, blocked roads, and caused power outages for 400,000 residents in Nova Scotia. World Renew regional disaster managers in eastern Canada are connecting with response leaders to determine the need for World Renew services there.