When category 5 Hurricane Dorian slammed into northernmost islands of the Bahamas, it devastated the area with nothing remaining in its wake except for total destruction.
According to the United Nations, at least 76,000 are now homeless and dozens of people have lost their lives because of the hurricane. The communities in the affected islands need our help. There is a lot to do, but luckily there is YachtAid Global leading relief efforts from the yachting industry.
YachtAid Global is a non-profit organisation that coordinates in conjunction with other non-profits to acquire then distribute humanitarian aid. Considering the severity of the loss experienced in the Bahamas, YachtAid Global has helped to mobilise multiple yachts filled with life-saving goods through Operation Topaz. They have helped to form a superyacht coalition, reducing the time it would have taken to organise and deliver aid to the islands.
The owner of the motor yacht Laurel, Tom Golisano, volunteered his yacht accompanied by his crew to deliver an incredible 30 tons worth of drinking water, non-perishable food, and medical supplies. When they returned to the United States from the Bahamas they brought with them 50 dogs that were rescued from the now destroyed animal shelter. The dogs then went into the care of Big Dog Ranch Rescue where they received medical care and could be adopted into loving homes. Through Laurel’s Instagram account she was able to keep followers abreast of her efforts, and even gained hundreds of followers when their work went viral on social media platforms.
The superyacht Loon was also involved in relief efforts by transporting volunteers, medical teams, supplies, and pumped hundreds of gallons of converted drinking water to shore for distribution. In addition to bringing aid to the islands, they stayed for a week to clear debris from the roads, securing the dock so more boats could safely arrive, giving sweets to children to lift their spirits, distributing supplies to hard-to-reach islands with their tender, freeing the debris from a ship’s propeller so it can transport people to safety and repairing the generators at the airport so planes can arrive with more aid.
So many others were involved in Operation Topaz such as motor yachts Cynthia, Turquoise, Anna Marie, Perla, and Hospitality. It is fantastic to see so many leaders, captains, and crews within the yachting industry step-up and make a significant difference in the lives of those displaced or affected by Hurricane Dorian. Relief efforts are still ongoing, please consider donating money or supplies with the following organisations: