NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS — Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 hurricane that hit the Bahamas on September 1, 2019, has killed at least 50 people and left 70,000 more requiring lifesaving assistance. There are several celebrities donating to Hurrican Dorian Victims.
Elizabeth Dixon, a native Bahamian, gave an eye-witness account of the horrid conditions on the ground. She said that “There are dead animals and gasoline in the water… The clinic was so bad the toilet bowls were overflowing. The sewers are coming up… Bodies are in the harbor. It seems like we’re in a movie.”
With an estimated 1,300 people still missing and most of the island lacking electricity and clean water, the Bahamas needs a massive influx of resources to combat the effects of the hurricane. Here are the celebrities donating to Hurricane Dorian victims.
Celebrities Donating to Hurricane Dorian Victims
- Michael Jordan: A frequent visitor to the Bahamas, six-time NBA Champion Michael Jordan pledged to donate $1 million to the Hurricane Dorian relief effort. This is not the first time the billionaire has helped those in need. He also donated $2 million to the Hurricane Florence relief effort. While he has not disclosed which organizations the money will be going to, it is encouraging to see him utilize his enormous wealth for good.
- Rihanna: Rihanna announced that those who purchased certain special edition items from her clothing brand, Savage x Fenty, would also be contributing to the Clara Lionel Foundation. Rihanna founded this organization in 2012 with the principle “that every child, no matter where she lives, deserves the opportunity to fulfill her potential.” In the Bahamas, the foundation is currently funding groups like World Central Kitchen and Direct Relief. World Central Kitchen is currently serving 30,000 meals a day in the northern region of the Bahamas and Direct Relief is delivering $470,000 worth of medical supplies.
- Ludacris: Early in September 2019, the rap superstar announced that The Ludacris Foundation would donate $100,000 to Hurricane Dorian relief efforts. He also mentioned that the money would come from the proceeds of his annual LudaDay weekend, an event focused on raising money for social service. Hopefully, Ludacris will continue to use his profile to raise funds and direct resources to struggling communities like the Bahamas.
- Buddy Hield: Unlike most of the celebrities donating to Hurricane Dorian victims, Buddy Hield is actually from the Bahamas. The starting shooting guard from the Sacramento Kings recently announced that he donated $100,000 to relief efforts for his Bahamian brothers and sisters. Additionally, he created a go-fund-me page to collect donations for those in need. Hield intends the money to help the people of the Bahamas rebuild their lives.
These are not the only celebrities donating to Hurricane Dorian Victims, but they all provide a great example of how people should act when others are in desperate need. Hopefully, governments around the world will take note of this generosity and start backing up their commitments to the world’s poor with more resources.
– Myles McBride Roach
Photo: Flickr