- May 5, 2024
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When Hurricane Joaquin made landfall in the Bahamas, so did many memories for Bianca Major and her family. Ten years ago her family lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina formed in the Bahamas, moving across southern Florida into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 5 and coming ashore east of New Orleans.
“All of my family comes from Long Island in the Bahamas, and now reside here in Palm Coast,” Major said. “Having experienced Hurricane Katrina, that ultimately was the reason or our relocation to Florida, we know all too well what devastation and loss a hurricane can bring."
When Hurricane Joaquin, blew through the Bahamas, Major was in South Carolina, where the wrath of the storm would also be felt with damaging floods. Major had family and friends in the Bahamas and no way to find out if they were OK.
“It was nerve wracking, hearing reports about people missing and not knowing,” Major said. “There wasn't a lot of coverage at first."
Now Major is doing what she can to help those, who like her parents 10 years ago, are having to rebuild their lives. Her first shipment of needed supplies, including food, clothing, school supplies, and household items is en route. She's doing more than sending needed supplies over.
“I am personally going back as soon as the container ship gets there,” she said. “I am going to oversee the unloading of the ship.”
The ship was expected to arrive in the Bahamas during the first two weeks of November.
Major hopes the next ship will have building supplies to allow the residents to start rebuilding their homes.
“There were 431 homes in Long Island destroyed; 831 in the Bahamas,” she said.
Major is using her online paper, The Long Island Runner, her Facebook page, and crowdrise.com, to try to raise awareness and funds for disaster relief. To date, crowdrise.com has received 10 % of Major's goal of $100,000.
Since her relief effort is not a registered 501(c)3, big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot cannot help with building supplies.
While the Bahamian government was criticized for slow response the British Navy and U.S. Coast Guard did respond. The Bahamian Navy was activated to evacuate residents from the hardest hit islands including Long Island and Crooked Island.
"We can not express enough, our thanks for the out pouring of gratitude from people helping our islands." Major said.
