On September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm. Making landfall at Elbow Cay (located along the east coast of Great Abaco), this was the first Category 5 storm to hit in over twenty years (Hurricane Andrew, 1992).
Within 24 hours, Dorian made her way to Grand Bahama and got comfortable. Moving at less than 1mph, Dorian battered the island for hours on end with torrential rainfall and sustained winds of 165mph.
The storm tore into a community we know well and truly love. Many of us have friends, colleagues, and loved ones across the islands and are devastated by the destruction left behind. We follow the fishing stories and have made our own memories chasing life-list species down there and we’re not ready to call it quits.
Recovery will be long and challenging, we know this; so to help, we are sharing three ways you can support the Bahamas and its communities.
Support Relief Efforts
Several GoFundMe Campaigns are being organized to support relief efforts. Groups, including the Abaco Lodge Bonefishing and Delphi Bonefish Club have set up fundraising campaigns for the community of Mash Harbour and surrounding area residents displaced by the storm. While the Delphi was spared by the storm and became a safe haven for those in need of shelter, the Abaco Club was destroyed. Infrastructure can be replaced, but the great people of the Bahamas cannot. To help in the recovery efforts, these groups have initiated online campaigns so we can all help them dig out of this mess. Visit their Instagram pages for more information, or donate directly at the Abaco Lodge GoFundMe or Delphi Club GoFundMe sites.
Participate in the Wade Rod Co Giveaway
We want to do our part. That’s why we’re auctioning off a Wade Rod 9WT Bonefish Tidechaser. All of the proceeds will be donated to the GoFundMe page organized by @abacolodge (mentioned above). To enter, check out our instagram post and comment with a bid. The auction will close at 5pm EDT on Thursday Sept 5, so make sure to share, tag friends and help us make this count!
Stay Informed
Watch the news, follow the Instagram accounts tagged above and stay informed about what’s going on. We cannot let this storm pass and the world forget about what happened in the Bahamas. Our friends and family of those islands have a long road to recovery, but we can help.
Whether or not you fly fish, helping the great people of Bahamas is what matters. While many of us have those islands to thank for epic fly fishing memories, others are waiting for the day to make their own memories, and still others just love following along on the Bahamas social media feeds. Stay informed and if you feel inclined to support a fundraising campaign, DO IT.
Our very own, Dylan Schmitz, visited the Bahamas last month on a Fish For Change trip, an organization that uses fly fishing to “make the world a better place by uniting a diverse group of students in wild fisheries where they engage in a variety of initiatives that promote Connection, Education, Conservation, and Exploration”. Here are some images from his trip.
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/08/31/5-catch-and-release-tactics-for-fly-anglers/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/08/29/whats-in-the-box-august-2019/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2019/08/27/5-trout-flies-to-try-when-you-fish-a-river-for-the-first-time/
Based in southern Colorado, Ryan is a photographer, outdoorswoman, fish chaser, and proud mama to two wild Outdoors-loving kiddos. When not wrangling little ones or cattle dogs, you’ll find her on the water, on a trail or on the road looking for the next piece of water and (hopefully) high country trout.
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