Update On Green Turtle Cay Damage

[Meathead]

Hurricane Dorian walloped Green Turtle Cay (GTC) on 9/1. It hit them with full Category 5 strength and hovered. More than 1,000 people in nearby Marsh Harbor and Treasure Cay where there was substandard housing and little shelter perished. I do not know the death toll on GTC but the island is making a comeback. School is back in session. Roofing and rebuilding is underway. There is an Instagram account you can go to and see some of what is going on and a Facebook page
https://www.instagram.com/greenturtleclub/
https://www.facebook.com/greenturtleclub/

I asked our host, Brad Barret of GrillGrates, for an update. He has been to GTC and has been working with Operation Barbecue Relief (OBR). He says: “We lost our house (“BitaBay”) and many other ocean front homes are gone. 20’ of beach eroded which took all homes that were close to the water like ours. Most other homes lost roofs meaning they lost all contents. Green Turtle Club lost 18 of 23 rooms and hopes to reopen some of them in March. The marina was spared and that hopefully will open early December. We fear for tourism as without it there are no jobs.

“The good news is that help and support is pouring in from around the world. A friend who owns ACE stores in coastal Georgia (he has stayed at our house) helped coordinate $250,000 worth of lumber and roofing materials as part of a huge barge that delivered last week. Two “soup kitchens” have been set up by boaters who are committed to 6 months feeding the local community.

“Julia and Will went with us 2 weeks ago and we literally camped at BitaBay. We kind of held a funeral for a friend. Then we stripped out all appliances that amazingly still worked (I brought a generator with us) and gave away clothes we dried out, tools etc. Got to stop typing it’s just hard to rehash.”

There is a foundation raising funds for the recovery. They say they guarantee that “100% of these funds will go directly to the residents of Green Turtle Cay and the long road ahead to rebuild. All donations are run through Green Turtle Cay Foundation which is a 501c3 charity so all your generosity will be tax deductible.” The money raised through this fund will be used for generators, fuel, tarps, roofing materials, food, water, personal hygiene products, diapers, formula, pet supplies, paper products, pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, air mattresses, duct tape, extension cords, box fans, batteries, flashlights, cleaning supplies, first aid kits, tools, garbage bags, etc.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/green-tur...an-relief-fund

This link has some aerial photos that show the damage.
https://www.facebook.com/The-Green-T...1708495210031/

Power is down and so there is no refrigeration making food a major problem. OBR is still active serving tens of thousands of meals. The Pitmaster Club supports them with a significant monthly donation.
https://operationbbqrelief.org

Chef Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen has been active in the Bahamas and has been flying to GTC daily on helicopter.
https://wck.org/news/hurricane-dorian-update

By the way, I was unable to find the email for these folks who were with us. If you have it, please send it to me so I can update them: Roger & Cindy Haman, Jenny Queen, Chris Vierke, James Boman, Harold Boman, David & Donna Lusk, John & Sarah Burne.

[klflowers]

Thanks for the update. I'll donate something to both the gofundme; we donated to BBQ relief on kind of a regular basis. Another reason I like this forum so much; no drama, just people that are willing to give.

[Dewesq55]

Meathead Thanks for the update. Barbara and I have both been checking periodically for news on GTC. We have found little that is as informative as what you posted. I was actively wondering if Brad and family's beautiful home survived and we are deeply saddened that it did not. As soon as I finish posting this, I will click the link and donate to the recovery effort. I really, really hope the island and it's wonderful people can survive/recover, although I am fearful of the alternative.

[ofelles]

Prayers, empathy, and concern for everyone involved. I can't begin to imagine how it must fell. I donated to OBR right after the storm and will donte to the go fund me page. To everyone there and helping please stay strong!
Thank you for the update

[Jim White]

Thanks, Meathead. So much suffering there.

[RonB]

Thanx for the update. That's a really tough situation.

[Skip]

Thanks for the update Meathead . We were there for the 2017 Meatup and have been wondering how Green Turtle Cay turned out. We hope for all the best for GTC and it's nice people.

[HawkerXP]

My boss lost his house that was finished in July on Bakers Bay.

[Troutman]

Yea my heart really goes out to all people affected by storms, but especially devastating storms such as CAT 5s. Being a long time resident along the Gulf Coast I've seen storms as strong as CAT 4s and believe me they are scary beasts indeed. I suffered major damage to a beach home in Galveston during Hurricane Ike and can attest to the trauma that causes. I just read the other day that 2,000 people in my part of Houston alone are still homeless as a result of Hurricane Harvey two years ago. I can't even imagine 1,000 lives being lost for those poor souls having to hunker down in that severe an event. You can rebuild a house, or a marina or a community, you can't rebuild lost lives.

Thoughts and prayers during hurricane season and to those who have to endure the wrath they bring.