Mattapoisett disaster relief group returns to The Bahamas to help with hurricane repairs

Standard-Times
·2 min read

MATTAPOISETT — Three years after Hurricane Dorian devastated The Bahamas, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH), a Mattapoisett-based non-profit organization helping people and communities impacted by disasters, returned to the Abaco Islands. They began the third phase of relief work focusing on home repairs and giving residents who have been displaced or living in unhealthy conditions a safe, secure, and functional home.

With approximately $1 million in funding for The Bahamas Hurricane Relief program, AHAH plans to perform critical interior and exterior work on more than 20 homes through mid-December, including the installation of new ceilings, drywall, subflooring, plumbing, electricity, and hurricane-resilient shutters and roofing.

“For three years now, the people of Great Abaco and The Bahamas have been trying to put their lives back together following the country’s most devastating hurricane on record,” said Jess Thompson, CEO of AHAH, in a press release. “In that length of time, most non-governmental organizations have left the country. All Hands and Hearts is dedicated to assisting not only the displaced residents but community members who are looking to make their home more resistant to these regularly-occurring disasters.”

All Hands and Hearts helping with disaster relief in the Bahamas.
All Hands and Hearts helping with disaster relief in the Bahamas.

In addition to deploying 40 volunteers to help with home reconstruction, AHAH also intends to employ workers native to the area on rebuild projects, providing them with training and experience in disaster-resilient repairs and renovations to better prepare them for future disasters in The Bahamas.

Once phase three is finalized, AHAH will have completed $11.5 million worth of rebuilding projects in Great Abaco, the organization's largest single program to date, with nearly 200 homes, schools, and other community structures being repaired or rebuilt. They estimate that 1,100 homes are still in need of repair in The Bahamas, making donations for ongoing repairs and construction all the more crucial.

AHAH is currently formulating a plan to send a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Puerto Rico which was recently hit by Hurricane Fiona. They will assess the needs and repairs necessary in order to help those impacted by the hurricane.

Those looking to donate, support, or learn more about AHAH are encouraged to visit www.AllHandsAndHearts.org.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: All Hands and Hearts returns to The Bahamas for disaster relief