Turks & Caicos Islands

Shattered Roofs, Shattered Lives: Real Medicine Foundation Support Turks and Caicos Reconstruction

You can view our Turks and Caicos photo album here.

On September 6 and 7, 2008, Hurricane Ike a Category 4 system with sustained winds of 135 mph (215km/hr) impacted the Turks and Caicos. Declared a disaster area by their government, the Turks and Caicos face major challenges due to the extent and magnitude of the damage and number of residents affected. While many of the social infrastructures have been restored, there remains a significant challenge for the majority of the population who do not have the resources to rebuild their lives let alone their homes.

In the initial disaster assessment, CDERA, The Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Relief Agency stated, “in Grand Turk, 95% of the houses were damaged, one-fifth of which was significant damage. In South Caicos, 95% of the houses were also damaged with over one-third significantly damaged or destroyed.

To put things in perspective, it has taken massive hotel chains with the financial resources to rebuild immediately, over two months to re-open. For residents without this capacity however, the road to restoring normalcy is far longer and much steeper.

Taking Action:

Real Medicine in partnership with LisaRaye McCoy-Misik, First Lady of The Turks and Caicos have initiated an effort to provide support to the residents of this tiny island to rebuild the shattered lives.

Your support is urgently needed. A resident of the island recently visited and reported the following in her email to us – “went to GR and Turks and so much is missing. Roofs and buildings all the poor peoples homes are gone so many in tents. little 10×10 tents.” Your immediate support is greatly appreciated.

To make a donation to support the rebuilding effort, please click here.

Click here for slideshow of the damage as reported by a local TV station.