U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green announced today that the United States is providing $7.5 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help people in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian, which brings the U.S. Government's total funding for this response to nearly $34 million.

This assistance was part of a whole-of-U.S.-government effort, in partnership with the Bahamian Government, charitable organizations, and the private sector, to address the acute humanitarian needs of those affected by the strongest storm to ever hit The Bahamas. The majority of this additional funding will provide vital support to humanitarian partner Samaritan’s Purse for its field hospital at Rand Memorial Hospital on Grand Bahama Island. In addition to contributing to meeting the most-immediate humanitarian need, the funding to Samaritan’s Purse will also pay for the removal of debris to help people get back into their homes; emergency and transitional shelter for families whose homes Hurricane Dorian damaged or destroyed on Grand Bahama and in the Abaco Islands; and repairs to water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure and the provision of emergency water supplies in communities affected by the storm.

To date, U.S. funding in the wake of Hurricane Dorian has also included life-saving emergency food assistance, 53 metric tons of relief items – including plastic sheeting, water buckets, and hygiene kits – from USAID’s warehouse in Miami, and logistics support from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security (especially the U.S. Coast Guard).

Immediately following Hurricane Dorian, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) – including a search and rescue team from Fairfax County, Virginia – to The Bahamas to guide the U.S. Government’s response and to work with the Bahamian Government and partners to provide critically needed assistance to people affected by Hurricane Dorian.

The U.S. Government has been pleased to work under the leadership of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas as it as coordinated the immediate response to Hurricane Dorian and the contributions of all the donors- including governments, individuals, and the private sector – who have responded to the storm. The United States continues to encourage donors to do more. As the world's largest donor of humanitarian assistance, the United States remains committed to helping the people of The Bahamas. In addition, for those individuals and groups interested in helping the people of the Bahamas, USAID encourages everyone to visit the Center for International Disaster Information at CIDI.org