Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line Launches Humanitarian Effort After Hurricane
by Daine Taylor
The ship, Grand Celebration, will be loaded with food, water, and other supplies, as well as first responders and volunteers, to help provide aid to the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the small island. Photo: Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line announced today that its Grand Celebration, which returned to the Port of Palm Beach, is set to depart to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island on a humanitarian cruise effort.
Grand Celebration will be loaded with food, water, and other supplies, as well as first responders and volunteers, to help provide aid after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the small island.
Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest hurricanes in modern records, devastated communities in the Bahamas, with a storm surge as high as 23 feet, and destroying some 13,000 houses in the Grand Bahamas and Abaco Islands.
Grand Celebration will also transport Bahamian residents who were stranded in South Florida due to the hurricane, home — at no cost to any volunteer or Bahamian resident. The ship’s previously planned departure has been canceled.
The current plan is for Grand Celebration to return to the Port of Palm Beach on Sept. 7, with Bahamian residents who wish to evacuate to the U.S. and have proper documentation.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is coordinating with Mission Resolve, a Florida-based humanitarian aid organization, which is spearheading a unified effort to help communities of the Bahamas rebuild after Hurricane Dorian.
Leading members of the South Florida business and philanthropic communities have come together to create the Bahamian Relief Consortium as part of Mission Resolve. All of the proceeds raised by Mission Resolve’s Bahamian Relief Consortium will go directly to provide relief to the children and families affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and other affected areas.
The rapidly growing group already includes senior executives from Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Resolve Marine Group, Entercom Communications, Celebration of the Sea Foundation, Broward Workshop, South Florida Chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization, The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, Keys Strong, Gold Aviation, JetScape, Tropic Air, Premier Protection Insurance Services, Dimor Aero and Marine Connection, as well as representatives from various local and state volunteer organizations.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, which has operated round-trip cruises from the Port of Palm Beach to Freeport for the past decade, is known for stepping up to the plate during times of crisis.
The company deployed Grand Celebration to St. Thomas in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, working alongside Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) to house more than 2,000 first responders for two months after the storm.
Working together, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and Mission Resolve are engaged in daily direct communications with the Bahamian government to determine the critical areas of need, in order to serve as a liaison for those looking to assist in the Hurricane Dorian recovery effort.
