Fox Foundation founder calls on the public to donate

NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Fox Foundation Founder Adrian Fox today appealed for the local and international community to assist residents in Grand Bahama and the Abacos, which continue to be pounded by Hurricane Dorian, a catastrophic Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of over 150 miles per hour.

“We need help in The Bahamas,” a somber Fox said on his Instagram storyline.

“Abaco; Freeport has been devastated. They’re hurt.

“A lot of people lost their lives. Houses have been destroyed. People don’t have food, [they] don’t have water.

“I am asking everybody here to lend a helping hand. Let’s try to see if we can help these people.

“These people need help. They’re hurting. They don’t have food; they don’t have water.

“I am giving half a million dollars because I want to see people have some food, and some clothes and whatever; whatever we can do, just do for Abaco and Freeport because they need our help and they need our support right now.”

Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis confirmed this afternoon that there were five confirmed deaths in Abaco, though officials did not provide the age and sex of the victims.

Fox said he heard firsthand accounts from friends in the Abacos about the sheer destruction on the island.

Numerous videos recordings and photos making the rounds on social media show severe flooding in communities, with water breaching homes with several feet of water; fallen trees, debris lining streets and corridors; roofs ripped off of structures and houses; families trapped in their homes and in many cases displaced.

The slow-moving storm, which has weakened marginally to a Category 4, remains a dangerous, and powerful storm with life-threatening sea surges.

At its peak while over the Abacos, Dorian raged with 185 mile per hours winds, and near 200 miles per hour in gusts, leveling parts of the island.

The raging waters in certain settlements made the ocean indistinguishable from land, as waves of murky water crashed against homes and other structures for hours.

While authorities have not reported any deaths as a result of the storm, there have been numerous unconfirmed reports of lives lost, including an 8-year-old boy who got separated from relatives in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, on Sunday.

Yesterday, Fox said the devastation is heart-breaking and “it’s crazy”.

“I have never seen anything like this in my life,” he said.

“Whoever wants to lend a helping hand, please. If you want to donate some money to my foundation, Fox Foundation, send it; hit me up on Instagram (@dradrianfox). Let’s see if we can help these people, [and] get this going. We all need each other someday and sometime, and this is a time Abaco and Freeport need help. Let’s do it.”