With property damaged and homes destroyed, the Red Cross tirelessly continues the aid effort as Hurricane Irene quickly becomes a distant memory for most Bahamians.
Unfortunately, local residents have perhaps grown a bit too removed from the hardship.
According to Caroline Turnquest, the Director General of the Bahamas Red Cross, the organization has received less than $500 in individual donations since the storm moved on.
The low figure from the Bahamian population is balanced somewhat by a better volunteer effort, she added.
Donations by banks and corporations have kept Red Cross’s aid effort afloat thus far.
This week, the RBC Royal Bank made one of the most significant donations of both time and money, pledging “a significant cash donation along with a commitment to provide volunteers to assist the Red Cross with the packing of hundreds of boxes of food, water and other supplies, to be shipped to the Family Islands impacted by Hurricane Irene”, the bank said in a statement.
One of the biggest problems is the Red Cross lacks enough hands to take the food and water from the warehouse, to the truck and to the mail boats for delivery.
Also among the corporations that have donated money or resources have been Sandals, Commonwealth Bank and Coca-Cola, with total donations to the Red Cross sitting at approximately $27,000.
It has been barely enough to help those in need, Turnquest said, and another storm could be right around he corner.
