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HURRICANE DORIAN RESPONSE

BMH and the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church have partnered with NEMA, Red Cross, One Eleuthera Foundation and others.

We have been  involved in 3 ways:

1) Evacuee Support Camp Symonette served as a shelter for Dorian evacuees, including 16 children. We are continuing to provide evacuee support for those displaced from Grand Bahama and Abaco. We thank the greater Eleuthera community, especially Christian and Methodist churches and individuals for their outstanding support and love. You offered healing, help, and hope when it was needed! 

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2) Church Repairs  Five churches affiliated with the same Methodist denomination that sponsors BMH were damaged by Dorian.  
  • New Hope Methodist - Freeport
  • Epworth Methodist - Abaco
  • St. James Methodist - Elbow Cay
  • Aldersgate Methodist - Abaco
  • St. Andrew's Methodist - Abaco
BCMC and BMH have worked with these congregations to rebuild physical structures that are important tools for ministry and community and often safe harbors in storms. All that remained at St. Andrews was the fellowship hall while the church sanctuary structure was totally destroyed. 

3) Home Repairs  We were scheduled to host over 300 volunteers in 2020 before Covid 19 pandemic began.  Hosting volunteer teams in Abaco & Freeport for debris removal, ERT work and rebuild (see Covid-19 update)


COVID-19 UPDATE ON EVACUEES:
Camp Symonette, the base of BMH operations, was called to serve as shelter for evacuees from Abaco and Grand Bahama in September 2019.  Families and individuals stayed with us while they begin the gigantic task of starting over with jobs, housing, and community. We work to assist enrolling students in school.  In November 2019 we began assisting families to find jobs, apartments and sponsors for initial rent.  By the end of December 2019, all 76 persons who had been part of there shelter had moved into alternative housing and we sponsored a Christmas party reunion to celebrate! 

After the Covid-19 caused massive unemployment in March 2020, many of these families were once again in danger of being homeless or displaced. BMH has worked with our UMCOR partners to re-work planned activities to sponsor a rental assistance program starting August 2020. We have continued to offer periodic support to Dorian survivors on Eleuthera during the pandemic as many did not have unemployment credits to count on during this time. ​