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Cruise lines, long reliant on the Bahamas, step up to help in the wake of Hurricane Dorian's destruction

Death toll from Dorian rises
Posted at 10:21 AM, Sep 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-05 13:21:24-04

After enduring the wrath of Hurricane Dorian, the Bahamas will need a lot of help to recover from the devastation — and there's several cruise lines ready to lend a hand to the destroyed country.

Dorian is the most powerful hurricane on record to ever hit the Bahamas, with the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama being particularly damaged. The death toll from the storm jumped Wednesday from seven to at least 20.

In the wake of the widespread destruction, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings have all taken steps to help the Bahamas recover.

Royal Caribbean, who has partnered with the Bahamas for their cruises for nearly five decades, is providing disaster relief in a number of ways. The cruise line is partnering with the Pan American Development Foundation to raise funds, matching donations up to $500,000.

In addition, the company is partnering with the Bahamian government and the Bahamas Feeding Network to deliver 43,000 water bottles, 10,000 meals, generators and supplies — and they're even detouring a ship to do so.

According to a letter from Royal Caribbean posted on Twitter, the Empress of the Seas cruise ship is making a detour to drop off the supplies, and even included a link to the fundraiser so passengers could make donations. The supplies are part of the $1 million disaster relief effort the company announced earlier this week.

The Carnival Corporation, which operates Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises, is also helping the Bahamas with $2 million in disaster relief, the company announced Wednesday.

The company, which operates nine cruise line brands, is also collecting and delivering food and supplies donated in three Florida counties. They partnered with Tropical Shipping and the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency to make it happen.

Norwegian Cruise Line is also helping with relief efforts. The company is donating and delivering relief supplies with the help of the City of Miami.

In addition, they are committing $1 million to All Hands and Hearts, a nonprofit that helps with disaster relief, and are also matching donations.