2017 CARIBBEAN HURRICANE RELIEF
Every new photo I see out of the islands that have been ravaged by Hurricane Irma & Hurricane Maria sickens me. Imagining how truly terrified everyone must have been during the storm and the dire situation the survivors are in now makes my soul ache. I wish I could take that pain away from our fellow islanders. I wish I could rescue them from the hell they are living in now. I am at a loss for words. And hurricane season continues to wreak havoc. My heart breaks for all those who experienced Irma and are still there, in need of rescue and basic life services.
I happened to already be away on vacation when the storms hit and have watched this horror from afar. I, like so many others, have lost my home, most of my possessions, and the island life that I loved so much. It is a surreal feeling – knowing that when I closed up my home to leave for vacation, I was walking away from everything I know and cherish. But I am one of the lucky ones. I did not experience that storm and I am safe in the US now.
The islands you love need your help desperately.
If you are a tourist who has ever visited these islands, please help. If you are someone who has ever dreamed of living in “paradise,” please help. If you used to live on an island, please help. If you are a fellow islander, please help.
*photo via Shaun Schroeter on Facebook
People have lost their businesses, their livelihoods, their homes, and all of their worldly possessions. They are in need of food, shelter, and evacuation. The situation is immediate and dire. The widespread destruction throughout the Caribbean is unprecedented.
I have tried to compile a list of ways you can help NOW for each of the islands effected. If you have additional organizations that you think need to be shared, please add them in the comments space of this post below or in the comments of the link of this post shared on our Facebook page.
Here is what I have so far, by region:
GENERAL CARIBBEAN
Caribbean Tourism Organization
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Help Resort Staff Throughout the Caribbean
Donate via Apple Store (How To)
ANGUILLA
Help Rebuild Seaside Stables Anguilla
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
Halo Foundation – Barbuda Relief Effort
CUBA
DOMINICA
UrtheRootz Mission: Rebuild Dominica
PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Real Time Recovery Fund
Save the Children – Puerto Rico
Cayo Santiago Monkeys Relief Fund & Staff Relief Fund
ST BARTH
St. Barth Disaster Relief Fund
ST MARTIN / ST MAARTEN
THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Virgin Unite Community Support Appeal
Three Sheets Sailing – Accepting Mailed Donations
BVI Immediate Relief – You Caring
Virgin Gorda Community – You Caring
Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society
THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS
Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands
VI-R3 (Virgin Islands-Relief, Recover, Rebuild)
Love for Love City by Kenny Chesney
TURKS & CAICOS
Friends of Beaches – Turks & Caicos
THE BAHAMAS
I know this is overwhelming. There are so many places that need help. But contributing literally ANYTHING that you can is what counts. And if you can keep contributing over time (add it to your monthly budget!), that would be even better. Pick one, pick several!
*photo via Brittany Meyers on Facebook
Please share this with everyone that has ever been touched by these beautiful islands – even if it’s just through a screensaver.
Additionally, keeping these islands and their people at the forefront of the media is essential. People quickly forget, but these islands will need help in the long haul. Any news coverage you are able to obtain to feature the islands in need would be incredibly helpful. Think local, think global.
Thank you for caring. The islands will come back to their glory one day. Now’s the time to point them in that direction.
Current Rock of Residence:
Virgin Gorda, BVI
Island Girl Since:
2006
Originally Hails From:
California
Chrissann’s home rock in the British Virgin Islands feels bigger to her than it actually is. Though after spending five years on a teensy one acre island, the current 13-mile long rock she’s residing on now IS ginormous, at least by comparison. As with everything in the tropics, it’s all about perspective.
Once upon a time she used to care about things like matching her purse to her pumps but these days, any activities that require a bra and shoes go under careful, is-this-even-worth-it consideration. If island life has taught her anything at all, it’s that few things are more rewarding than time spent in the pool with a cocktail in hand.
As the Editor in Chief of this site, she spends her days working from home with her blue-eyed sidekick, Island Dog Diego, writing, editing, and cultivating content in the hopes of bringing some laughter and lightness to her fellow island souls. She recently published her first children’s book, When You’re a Baby Who Lives on a Rock, and is pretty pumped to share it with all of the island mamas out there. Her days off are typically spent boating, hiking, and meeting up with the neighborhood’s imperious roadside goats, who she shamelessly bribes into friendship. While normalcy was never listed as one of her special skills, Caribbean life may indeed be responsible for new levels of madness. She attributes at least a smidge of her insanity to the amount of time she spends talking to drunk people.
If you’re somehow still reading this and feel inclined to find out more about this “Chrissann” of which we speak, you can also take a gander at her eponymous website or follow her daily escapades on Instagram @womanonarock.
