CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA), headquartered in Stuart, FL, is approximately 80 miles away from the beautiful blue waters of the Bahamas. Our friends and families have made fishing trips, dive excursions, and vacationed on the Islands for decades. We are blessed to have such a beautiful area within reach of our shores–easily accessible by boat or plane. On August 30^th, Hurricane Models indicated that Stuart could be hit by a CAT 4 or 5 Hurricane Dorian within a few days; it forecast the hurricane sitting on top of us for over 24 hours and then slowly turning north.

Our area would have seen catastrophic damage, but this didn’t happen, instead, CAT 5 Hurricane Dorian stalled out over the northern Bahamas, grinding the Abaco Islands, Marsh Harbor, and Hope Town into the sea. Our good fortune became their nightmare. Stuart and Hope Town are sister cities, and so many of us spend much of our leisure time enjoying this little slice of paradise; hurricane Dorian completely destroyed it.

CSA initiated an internal Bahamas Fund Raising Effort, with a dollar for dollar match from the company and a goal of raising $20,000, including CSA matching funds. We met our goal within 3 days and have now increased the goal and matching funds. Understanding that this is a long term effort, long after the headlines and the media spotlight have faded, CSA chose four efforts for a contribution that should be there for the long term through the rebuilding process. Please click on the links below for more information.

1. Team Rubicon -  Team Rubicon is an international non-profit disaster response organization that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams, free of charge, to communities affected by disasters. Team Rubicon has already deployed to the Bahamas. They have the skills and resources to make a difference, both short term recovery, and long term rebuilding efforts. We have folks at CSA with direct knowledge and experience working with Team Rubicon.
2. World Central Kitchen -   WCK has served more than 8 million meals through 23 deployments with over 44,000 volunteer shifts worked to assist survivors in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters. WCK deployed to the Bahamas ahead of Hurricane Dorian, and they have already distributed meals to the area from a kitchen in Nassau while also setting up the first kitchens locally.
3. Humane Society of Grand Bahama (HSGB) - The HSGB was founded in 1968 to provide a safe harbor for the island’s homeless and abused animals. They are the only animal welfare organization on the island. Donate through the GoFundMe Page for "Save The Potcakes Bahamas" by Jacque Petrone, (this is the only sanctioned GoFundMe) or through the Kohn Foundation.  
4. Hope 4 Hopetown - Abaco Island Relief Fund - Patrick Davis and five others are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of the Roger Jennings Davis Memorial Fund Inc. (Roger Jennings Davis Memorial Fund). Donations are 100% tax-deductible. 

CSA is proud of its generous employees and their efforts to support the ongoing relief efforts in the Bahamas. We’ll continue to follow the progress in the Bahamas and look for other ways to help in the weeks, months, and years ahead as our “little sister” Hope Town recovers from the devastating blow of a CAT 5 hurricane.

Kevin Peterson