Hurricane Dorian left parts of the Bahamas destroyed after hovering over the islands on Sunday and Monday with 185-mile per hour winds. According to Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, five people have died as a result of the storm.

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) at FAU is hoping to play a small role to help those affected in the Bahamas. Starting Sept. 10, AMSA is hosting a series of donation drives to support Lend A Hand Bahamas, a Bahamian non-profit that works with AMSA during their annual outreach trips. 

“The damage done in the Bahamas is absolutely devastating and we really just want to help out in any way we can,” said AMSA Vice President Noel Brown. “AMSA goes to the Bahamas every year for an outreach trip, so, to see these people lose everything they have is heartbreaking.”

Brown said these are some of the items they’re looking for:

• Non-perishable food
• Water
• Toiletries
• First aid/medical supplies 
• Diapers
• Baby powder, formula, etc.
• Batteries
• Tool kits 

The first drive on Sept. 10 will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Barry Kaye Auditorium in Boca. Although AMSA will be hosting a general body meeting there, anybody can stop by and donate, regardless of club membership, Brown said. 

AMSA President Alaina Tillman said Lend a Hand Bahamas is working with other organizations in the area to make sure different supplies go to the appropriate place. For example, food and water will go to groups helping the homeless, medical supplies to hospitals and took kits to those building homes, she said. 

The other two drives are Oct. 13 and Nov. 13 during the same time, but the location hasn’t been decided yet. AMSA is also in the process of setting up a drop-off location for donations and will announce where that will be on their Instagram page when it’s decided. 

AMSA has held outreach trips to the Bahamas for the past eight years, according to Tillman.

“Personally, I have gone on the international outreach trip to Nassau for the past two years and made life changing connections with the Bahamian residents that I will forever be grateful for,” she said. “When we were seeing the current situation, we were devastated to hear about how the people were affected on the islands.”

Hurricane Dorian is tied for second-highest maximum wind speed on the Atlantic dating back to the 1850s, according to the Washington Post.

“The American Medical Student Association at FAU is a pre-health organization with members who have chosen an education and career path dedicated to serving others,” Brown said. “We will always do our best to help others in any way we can, whether that’s volunteering, or donations. Anything helps.”

Brown suggests people who can’t make it to one of their donation drives and want to donate money do so at Lend a Hand Bahamas here. 

Kristen Grau is the managing editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her at @_kristengrau.