Hurricane Dorian began as a tropical disturbance near the African coast, and started to strengthen on Aug. 24. The National Hurricane Center noted that it was the “fourth tropical storm of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season.” As Dorian approached the U.S. Virgin Islands, wind levels peaked at 111 mph, while 82-mph winds were sustained on Buck Island on Aug. 28, officially classifying Dorian as a hurricane.
Dorian’s momentum eventually manifested as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained 185-mph winds that pummeled Grand Bahama Island, the Abaco Islands and other parts of the Bahamas. The storm halted over the area and caused significant damage, leaving approximately 70,000 residents homeless, and 60,000 in need of food and water. Dorian also caused around $7 billion of destruction. According to the Bahamas, at least 50 people have died with 1,300 who remain missing.
In the wake of the Bahamas’ most powerful hurricane, stories of heroism have emerged. Bravery in the face of catastrophe was plain in blind Abaco resident Brent Lowe’s actions. In an interview with CNN, he described how he saved his son, who has cerebral palsy.
“At that time [when the roof fell off] it was raining and raining hard,” he said. “So I picked him up, threw him on my shoulder… We all had to walk out into the water and into the wind to the neighbor’s house. It looks like it’s going to be a long time before we get to go back home.”
Hurricane Dorian did not strike Florida as seriously as previous forecasts foresaw; however, it still hit the peninsula as a Category 2, causing about 140,000 individuals to lose power and mild flooding issues.
With minimal damage done in the Sunshine State, Dorian, now a Category 1, carried sustained winds, peaking at 90 mph to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. This led to “flooding of biblical proportions,” as one Ocracoke Islander described it, causing a rash of property damage, 135,000 power outages, and 81 closed roads.
The Catholic Church is directing its resources and efforts to the Bahamas after the storm, as it commonly does in the wake of disasters. The Most Reverend Patrick C. Pinder, Archbishop of Nassau, has been cooperating with and orchestrating the distribution of goods from the Archdiocese of Miami, Catholic Relief Services, and his local Caritas, among other charities, to relieve his fellow Bahamians.
“It’s the agencies that are on the ground providing the help—they really know what is needed,” said Peter Roustsis-Arroyo, director of the Archdiocese of Miami’s Catholic Charities, in an interview with the Florida Catholic. “So it’s best to give them the resources so they can purchase locally what is needed. It helps to get businesses back up and running locally.”
Other organizations have initiated endeavors to provide aid to the Bahamas, including Catholic Charities, Cross Catholic Outreach, Crossroads Alliance, Aerobridge, Angel Flight and the Knights of Columbus. Within a day of Hurricane Dorian decimating the country, the Bahamas received over $100,000 from the Knights of Columbus for clean water, hygiene bags, infant necessities, and canned goods. The Knights plan to continue their charitable efforts and will donate at least $250,000 in aid in the weeks following the devastation.
“We would be in a miserable state and lacking hope without this kind of assistance,” said Archbishop Pinder in a letter to the Floridian Knights of Columbus. “This is an excellent example of charity and solidarity. I am profoundly grateful.”
Featured photo courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater
Max Montana is a senior studying philosophy and theology. When not writing for The Torch, he enjoys reading more about the Catholic faith and philosophy, serving the unborn and mothers in need, and hanging out with friends. Max is honored to hail from the state with many gators and the bishop of the moon: Florida.
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