(ATR) The Bahamian Olympic Committee, the largest sporting body in the country, has opened a relief drive to assist victims of Hurricane Dorian in Grand Bahama and Abaco.
Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas as a category five hurricane on Sunday, with the northern islands receiving the brunt of the storm.
"We had some people from the other NOCs around the Caribbean and the world actually, checking to see if we are okay and what they can do to help. So we have decided to coordinate a relief drive," BOC secretary general Derron Donaldson told The Tribune.
The BOC is asking the public to bring donations such as canned goods, generators, clothing, and water to their office in the capital of Nassau.
"We just want to bring the sporting bodies together and see what we can put together and assist our persons in Abaco and Grand Bahama, who have given so much to the development of sports in the country," Donaldson added.
Frank Rutherford, the first Bahamian Olympic medalist, has organized a fundraiser in Houston, Texas to help with relief efforts as he awaits updates from his family in the Bahamas.
"Right now, I can’t even get in touch with my mother. All the lines are down. From what we are hearing, it’s the most devastating hurricane that’s ever hit the Bahamas," Rutherford told Houston television station KHOU.
"The pictures I’m seeing, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I’m asking Houstonians: Please help us."
Written by Greer Wilson
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