The Caribbean Tourism Organisation has launched a hurricane relief appeal after the destruction of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas with the death toll caused rising to at least seven.

Cruise lines pledge support to hurricane relief appeal

Royal Caribbean has dedicated more than $1 million to Bahamas relief efforts and pledged to deliver vital supplies to the islands by ship.

Royal Caribbean Cruises said:

For more than half a century, we’ve made many friends and many memories. The Bahamas is also home to more than 500 of our colleagues who work at Perfect Day at CocoCay and the Grand Bahama Shipyard. So in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, we’re rolling up our sleeves to help our friends, and inviting our guests to help. Royal Caribbean is committing $1 million to Dorian disaster relief, and ITM – our partner in the Holistica joint venture that is developing the Grand Lucayan resort in Freeport – is also donating an additional $100,000.

Arnold Donald, Carnival Corporations CEO, has also reconfirmed a commitment to two major projects on the islands of Grand Bahama and Half Moon Cay.

Bahamas hurricane relief fund

Announcing the Bahamas hurricane relief fund, the CTO said:

In the wake of this monstrous storm, we have witnessed the pain of those who lost loved ones, the agony of so many who lost their homes and all their belongings, and the angst of an entire Caribbean concerned for the welfare of the people of these islands.

According to the CTO the greatest impact of Hurricane Dorian was felt in the northern islands of the Abacos and Grand Bahama, while most of the nation has been mostly unaffected.

As has been demonstrated so many times in the past, we have weathered many storms, we are a resilient people who refuse to surrender even in the most difficult of times, and we are confident that the people of the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama, with the full support of the Islands of the Bahamas and the Caribbean tourism family, will navigate the road to recovery together and emerge stronger. The CTO offers our full support to the Bahamas. We have activated our hurricane relief fund which has been established to help our people and countries rebuild after disasters.

Hurricane Dorian

Heading away from the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian is now moving parallel to the coast of Florida. The hurricane is now a category two storm but it has grown larger in area, with winds of 110mph.

Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina will still feel the impact of the storm and have all declared states of emergency, with mandatory evacuation orders across many areas.