Photo: Michael Carter

UPDATE 12:18 p.m.

A Kelowna man is calling on anyone who can spare food clothing or cash donations to please contact him via email at: [email protected]

"This family will be showing up tonight with nothing and they will be here for the next several months, we desperately need warm clothing food and we are also looking for a long term housing solution."

ORIGINAL 10:50 a.m.

A Kelowna man has gone above and beyond to help a young family from the Bahamas escape the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian.

Michael Carter tells Castanet: "For the last four days, I have been working to get a family of three, a husband and wife and their 10-year-old boy, off of Grand Bahama Island after their house was completely destroyed by Hurricane Dorian."

Carter says the family, Dexter and Bridgenna Ferguson and their son Dexter Jr., lost everything in the hurricane except for a single suitcase. Many Bahamian residents have been living without food, water, power or sanitation since Hurricane ripped through the island last week.

Carter says things have gotten worse for many residents, and looting and chaos have taken over parts of the island.

"I managed to get a random private citizen (by cold calling the phone book), from Nassau, an island 300 km south, to pick them up by boat at a personal cost of $3,600. We used a secret GPS location to avoid being mobbed by the thousands of people trying to flee the island."

Carter says after a long and arduous journey, he is hopeful the family will arrive in Kelowna tonight just before midnight and says Ted Callahan of Argus properties has generously donated temporary accommodation to the family at Manteo Resort.

Carter says he knows the family personally from his time in the Caribbean and he has started a GoFundMe page to help get them back on their feet.

"We will still need other donations including food, clothing and long term shelter," Carter says. The family will be allowed to stay in Canada for the next 90 days but will be unable to work or earn an income.

Carter says once he has the Fergusons situated he intends to try and help more families impacted by the devastation left by the hurricane.

"Once they arrive safely, I am starting to try to bring more families on a temporary basis."