ATLANTA — As Hurricane Dorian wreaks havoc, destroying businesses and homes in the Bahamas, a Georgia woman received a heartbreaking message from a coworker in the islands affected by the storm.
Iffat Walker and her non-profit, Community Action Now, are working on ways to get supplies into the impacted areas. She's terrified for the people caught in the storm.
“It’s devastating right now. It’s devastating," said Walker, who is in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Her non-profit - which operates in Conyers, Georgia and the Virgin Islands - works in the Caribbean on long-term disaster recovery. The organization started in 2014.
“Making sure that we have reliable people that are not there to rob these people blind in the midst of a disaster, but are there to support them during a long-term recovery. And it will be a long-term recovery for these people," she explained.
Dorian hit the Virgin Islands last week, as a Category 1 hurricane.
“It wasn’t nearly as bad as what we experienced in 2017," Walker explained.
The islands are still recovering from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, two category 5 storms that pummeled the islands two years ago.
So, Walker, a native of the Caribbean, understands the devastation in the Bahamas. She said several of her partners are on the island right now.
“We had not heard from them in a few days, and we realized, 'they’re in the Bahamas, we need to check on them'," she said.
Walker sent 11Alive's Hope Ford a screenshot of the text message she received.
“She said there’s a lot of water all over the place, and people are dying.”
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at least five people have died in the Bahamas.
Walker’s team is working to identify resources. Shelly Maxwell, also from the Caribbean, said teams on the ground will help identify the specific needs of survivors.
“We don’t want to start collecting a bunch of items that won’t be needed," Maxwell explained.
So right now, Walker is focused on fundraising efforts and finding her teammates, still stuck in the flood Bahamas.
“We need help," Walker said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to collect donations.
Her non-profit will start sending supplies as soon as the ports open - leaving first responders enough time to focus on finding survivors and getting them medical care.
They are reminding people not to send lots of bottled water, because it creates another problem for them.
“Where are all those water bottles going to go? They’re going to end up in the ocean," Walker said. "They need water filtration. That’s what they need, water filtration system. They’re going to need a lot of first aid kits.”
Get more information about the non-profit on its website.
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