Sanibel Sea School Thanks Community for Hurricane Dorian Relief

Sanibel Sea School was quick to answer the call after Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas on Sept. 1, 2019 asking our community for donations to help the small island of Green Turtle Cay, located just east of Treasure Cay.

Through the generous donations that poured in, Sanibel Sea School has sent over 120 volunteers to Green Turtle Cay to help the rebuilding process of the island. Almost every single standing home on the island had some sort of roof damage – if they even had a roof left at all.

Homes were badly destroyed by Hurricane Dorian

Volunteers assist with roof repairs on Green Turtle Cay

Volunteers work to restore the community and provide relief to the Green Turtle Cay community

Volunteers that went over to Green Turtle Cay spent their time on roofs removing shingles and repairing holes, helping ensure the locals in the community had a dry place to sleep. Since, Sanibel Sea School began sponsoring volunteer flights to Green Turtle Cay, over 75 houses are now dry and livable.

Along with coordinating volunteers and sponsoring flights over to Green Turtle Cay, Sanibel Sea School was able to purchase over $15,000 in construction tools and supplies. On Jan. 1, Sanibel Sea School donated the remaining funds of $75,000 to the Green Turtle Cay Foundation to help with the long-term relief efforts of the island and restoring the community.

Hurricane Dorian was the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and is regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. The Category 5 185-mph hurricane made landfall on Sept. 1, hovering over Greater Abaco for 30 hours. The destruction Dorian left behind left the Bahamian islands almost unrecognizable. Our Bahamian neighbors needed a lot of relief assistance immediately after the storm and help with long term recovery.

One of the recent volunteer groups that went over to assist Green Turtle Cay was coordinated through Sanibel’s St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. The Sanibel team consisted of Jerry and Linda Davenport, Douglas Veits, Julie Vergin, Joan Desilets and Michael Grashuf. They worked exclusively on St. Peter’s Church doing grounds cleanup, landscaping, floor tile preparation, rectory exterior wall prep for painting, plumbing, concrete form setting and more. The team reported that restoration of the church has come a long way, but there’s still much to be done.

Sanibel Sea School wants to thank everyone who contributed to the Green Turtle Cay relief fund and we want to remind everyone that we all need a little help sometimes.

Part of the SCCF (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation) Family, Sanibel Sea School’s mission is to improve the ocean’s future, one person at a time.