In June 2021, Only One is partnering with Friends of the Environment (FRIENDS) and IDEA Relief to support their ongoing hurricane relief and natural resource conservation efforts in Abaco in the northern Bahamas.
In 2019, Hurricane Dorian left thousands of Abaconians stranded without water, food, or shelter. Many needed to be evacuated. Thankfully, people came together to administer aid and offer their support. Among these, a team of private vessel owners coordinated to successfully evacuate over 600 people from Abaco’s mainland and cays over the course of three days. They later formed IDEA Relief.
The Category 5 hurricane wreaked havoc on the environment and demolished communities, destroying homes and buildings, including the FRIENDS Education Centre. In the wake of Dorian, despite the loss of the physical building, FRIENDS stayed committed to relief and recovery efforts.
IDEA Relief and FRIENDS are on a mission to strengthen their communities and natural resources post-Dorian — and they truly are leading the way on climate change adaptation.
Project impact
1 community learning center will be constructed to assist in restoring environmental education and outreach programs following Hurricane Dorian
1 sonar system will be purchased for the shallow water vessel, Mangrove Roomba, to map out the marine environment and help find debris in highly turbid waters
200+ students in local communities will benefit from Covid-safe education programs on coral reefs, mangroves, and Abaco's stunning caves or "blue holes," as well as climate change and sea level rise
60 cubic yards of debris will be removed from Abaco's delicate marine environment
4 captains will be provided with critical technology training to enhance cleanup operations across Abaco
Why strengthening coastal disaster response matters
On September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian approached The Bahamas at 220 miles per hour before making landfall at Elbow Cay on the island of Abaco. It was the most powerful hurricane to ever hit The Bahamas and send shockwaves through the community.
Since 2019, The Bahamas has been in a critical transformation phase that could allow the country to commit to a sustainable ocean (or “blue”) economy and vital climate change adaptation. Future natural disasters are unavoidable, which is why preparations by organizations like FRIENDS and IDEA Relief are so critical.
A letter from Cristina Mittermeier
While in The Bahamas to document the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen — who founded Only One in 2017 — spent time with FRIENDS and IDEA Relief to help where they could with recovery efforts. Cristina shared with us how the experience had a profound effect on her, and why it is so important to her that Only One is supporting these two organizations.
“Having worked in conservation for almost 25 years, I know firsthand how hard it is to raise funds for those items that are so often overlooked but are absolutely necessary to keep small, community-led organizations afloat: a spare tire for a patrol vehicle, a scuba kit for marine debris removal, a new window for a learning center. Many of the larger funding agencies out there sadly do not provide items such as these, which can make or break a small-scale ocean conservation project, and the application process for funding is often challenging and time-consuming. When Paul and I created Only One, a global community of people who are as passionate as we are about investing in a healthy future for our planet, this was exactly the goal we had in mind: to support the heroes on the frontlines of ocean conservation in continuing their work, to move the needle where it matters. Seeing the devastating aftermath of a hurricane like Dorian in a coastal community was really hard—but however hard this was for us, nothing we felt could compare to how terrifying it must have been for the community members who lived through the storm, which is why when the SeaLegacy team arrived in Abaco to document the destruction, we were so moved by the generosity of spirit of the staff at Friends of the Environment. Executive director Cha Boyce and her team, who had all experienced the trauma of Dorian and lost their office building and huge parts of their homes, took the time to guide us around the island and explain why the conservation efforts happening in Abaco mattered so much. The same was true of IDEA Relief, and we were overjoyed to be able to lend them the SeaLegacy 1 boat as a base for cleaning up debris from the small island of Man-O-War Cay. The powerful winds generated by Dorian sank hundreds of boats in the harbor, while pieces of offices and homes blown away all ended up at the bottom of the ocean—I was grateful to have the chance to dive with the IDEA Relief team, to play a small role in the years-long effort to remove this toxic junk from the sea. FRIENDS and IDEA Relief, and organizations like them, still have a long road ahead. But I find solace in knowing that through funding from Only One, we are helping to rebuild what the storm took away. I cannot thank Only One members enough for enabling us to give back to a group of people who are doing so much to restore and encourage the abundance of our ocean.”
Project leaders
Lianna Burrows
As Outreach Coordinator at FRIENDS, Lianna assists with online outreach and fundraising efforts and leads education programs on mangroves, corals reefs, Abaco’s stunning caves or “blue holes,” and more, all while continuing on her own journey of personal growth.
Donell Pubien
Donell is currently in the role of Debris Manager at IDEA Relief. After Hurricane Dorian hit The Bahamas, Donell saw debris tangled in mangroves and harming the ocean floor, which caused him to feel the importance of cleanup operations more than ever.
More about FRIENDS
Founded in 1988 in response to a desire to secure a sustainable future for Abaco, Friends of the Environment (FRIENDS) is on a mission to preserve Abaco’s environment through education, conservation, and research facilitation. The team focuses on building awareness to foster sustainable behaviors and encourage environmental ambassadorship, and believes that environmental education and research will benefit Bahamians and lead to successful conservation. For FRIENDS, when people form intimate connections with native ecosystems, this strengthens pride and can inspire them to take action.
Since establishing their education program in 2006, FRIENDS has reached over 23,000 students. The team has restored 180 acres of mangrove wetland, removed more than 10,000 invasive lionfish from Abaco’s waters, and carried out a campaign called Size Matters, which catalyzed sustainable fishing practices in the spiny lobster fishery. Most importantly, FRIENDS helped gather community support for five newly designed protected areas in Abaco.
Funds from Only One will enable the construction of a purpose-built learning center to expand FRIENDS’ environmental education programs and encourage community engagement. Named The Learning Centre, the building will be durable and sustainable, aid community disaster relief efforts, and support the recovery of other nonprofits.
More about IDEA Relief
IDEA Relief was created in response to the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. During the disaster, IDEA Relief organized evacuations, facilitated medical support and search-and-rescue transport, and supplied logistical chain support for the Government of The Bahamas, nonprofit organizations, and citizens in the impacted areas of Abaco.
IDEA Relief’s aim is to establish a network of first responders to work in cooperation with authorities in order to address emergencies with proper action, accurate data, and local knowledge. Recognizing the urgency of such climate events, the IDEA Relief team starts providing support 12 to 48 hours after a hurricane departs Abaco.
Right now, IDEA Relief is leading a program to remove hurricane debris from the waters of Abaco and surrounding cays. So far in 2021, the team has removed more than 700 cubic yards of debris from these delicate marine environments. At the same time, IDEA Relief is preparing for future hurricane seasons.
Support from members of Only One will further IDEA Relief’s efforts to remove debris, conduct research, and foster preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters across Abaco.
