The Abaco Club initiates hurricane relief effort

The Abaco Club on Winding Bay is launching a fundraising effort dedicated to providing immediate disaster relief for the residents of Great Abaco island, which incurred catastrophic damage as a result of Hurricane Dorian.

“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our staff members and other residents of Abaco,” Southworth Development founder and CEO David Southworth. “There is an urgent need for immediate assistance on Abaco, and we are moving fast to provide that assistance.”

When the Category 5 hurricane caused widespread destruction when it made landfall on Great Abaco. The island’s largest town, Marsh Harbour, was almost entirely destroyed. Hundreds of homes were demolished on the island, leaving thousands of residents without shelter, with at least 23 people dying nationwide.

“We haven’t even been able to ascertain whether all of our staff members are safe yet,” Southworth said. “Communications systems are still down, power is out, roads are flooded or blocked by fallen trees. It’s a humanitarian disaster on an almost unimaginable scale.”

Southworth Development chairman Joe Deitch is pledging $1 million to the relief effort in the hope it will inspire others to also give generously.

“The people of Abaco are more than just our friends and neighbors,” Deitch said. “They’re like family to us. Both David and I have homes on the island and we cherish our relationships with the people of Abaco. What happened there is a tragedy, and we’re going to do all we can to help.”

Contributions to this GoFundMe campaign will be distributed by the Abaco-Winding Bay Relief Fund, a charitable organization created expressly for this effort with 501(c)3 status applied for and pending. All funds received will be used to provide assistance specifically to the people of Abaco in the form of food, shelter, medical aid and supplies, and assistance in the clean-up and rebuilding efforts.