The Tribune

DONATIONS continue to pour in for victims of Hurricane Dorian, with The Island House pledging a minimum of $500,000 for immediate relief and subsequent rebuilding efforts.

“The staff and partners of The Island House share the pain of our Bahamian family in Abaco and Grand Bahama, who’ve tragically been affected by the catastrophic Hurricane Dorian,” a statement from the boutique resort said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all people impacted by the storm. In response to the desperate need for resources we have committed a minimum of $500k for the immediate relief and subsequent rebuilding efforts.

“As part of the relief, we have already begun to help support and deploy equipment and experienced teams specialising in: strategic disaster response planning; helicopter search and rescue; emergency paramedics; coordination, transportation and provision of emergency supplies and personnel.

“In addition to these immediate actions, we plan to participate in the longer term needs of our community,” The Island House said.

CIBC also announced it is donating US$150,000 to support humanitarian relief in areas impacted by Hurricane Dorian with a focus on the Northern Bahamas.

“The funds, which include a donation through CIBC FirstCaribbean’s ComTrust Foundation, will be distributed through the Red Cross,” the bank noted in a press release.

“We stand with all communities impacted by the devastating hurricane in the Bahamas and surrounding areas,” said Colette Delaney, chief executive officer, CIBC FirstCaribbean. “We are committed to helping our clients, team members and communities recover and rebuild.”

In the Northern Bahamas, CIBC FirstCaribbean also will be extending special banking assistance to affected clients to aid in their recovery efforts, added Ms Delaney.

Local insurance company JS Johnson made a $100,000 donation to the National Emergency Management Agency on Friday.

Charles Johnson, JSJ senior manager said: “The destruction of this Category Five hurricane and the images that continue to circulate of unprecedented devastation on the islands and cays are heartbreaking. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the entire country, but particularly those directly affected by the storm.”