September 3, 2015 (Roseau, DOMINICA): Jungle Bay resort in Dominica sustained catastrophic damage as a result of mudslides and flooding from Tropical Storm Erika on August 27, 2015. All 43 guests, including children who were staying at the resort on the night of the storm, are now homeward bound. All Jungle Bay staff survived. However, the surrounding villages were significantly affected by this natural disaster. As a result, all former Jungle Bay staff will lose their livelihoods. The 35-cottage Jungle Bay spa and wellness resort is now permanently closed and estimates of damage are still being assessed.
Petite Savanne, a nearby village where many Jungle Bay staff lived, suffered the greatest loss of life. While the official death toll is still unknown, loss of life is believed to be around 20 persons including relatives of Jungle Bay staff. One employee alone lost 13 relatives in the mudslides. The remaining population of Petite Savanne was evacuated by helicopter and sea, as the area was deemed unstable. They will be permanently relocated.
“This unfortunate disaster has shattered the lives of all our employees, but especially those from Petite Savanne. They must now restart their lives. In addition to having lost their homes, all possessions, and family, they also have lost their livelihood. Jungle Bay too was destroyed and will be unable to re-open”, said Samuel Raphael the Developer and Managing Director who was bestowed the 2010 Best in Personal Contribution to Responsible Tourism by Virgin Holidays Travel Awards.
Guests who were staying at the resort during Tropical Storm Erika first took shelter in Jungle Bay’s stone and steel reinforced yoga studio. They were later moved to the primary school in the nearby village of Delices and were evacuated by helicopter to Roseau on August 30th. The French Embassy was an instrumental partner in facilitating the air evacuation to ensure safety of all guests, who were primarily from the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique as well as Canada.
“10 years ago this year, Jungle Bay opened as a noble concept. At its core was a group of passionate hard working individuals who believed in the power of community. These individuals represented former banana farmers and construction workers, housewives, and inexperienced youth from nearby villages. With training and dedication, they evolved to become a family of compassionate, professional individuals, united in the purpose to exceed international visitors expectations as evident in Jungle Bay’s numerous accolades” says Samuel from a disaster recovery center in Roseau Dominica.
Around 100 families have dedicated themselves to making Jungle Bay the leading Caribbean sustainable tourism model including 56 staff, farmers, fishermen and service providers. “We call ourselves the Jungle Bay family” and live by the simple motto that “our job is to make every guest happy”.
Local residents are posting messages of sorrow online: “Jungle Bay, the economic engine of our community is gone”.
Sam’s appeal is first and foremost to help the displaced staff of the resort, who have lost their livelihood.“These people that many of you and I have all come to know and love need help urgently!“
Jungle Bay, its staff, and past guests have greatly contributed to those less fortunate in our community through a series of initiatives. These initiatives include thousands of dollars in support, volunteer time, and creation of infrastructure, continued support for the House of Hope home for disabled individuals, revival of libraries through Open Books Open Minds, mentorship of young entrepreneurs, general care, wellbeing and health initiatives, and overall contributing to the social development of the community.
Support is greatly needed and can be directed to help the local community as follows:
1) Donate funds to the Jungle Bay Community Fund.
Pay by credit card at www.gofundme.com/JBDominicaRelief or pay by bank wire transfer Click here for details.
2) Forward and share this message with others in the global community who may be able to help.
3) Ship emergency relief items.
Money is the preferred means of support in disaster relief as it allows the community the fluidity of purchasing items of greatest need. If you wish to ship, please select items from our emergency needs list: http://tinyurl.com/JB-Erika-Shipping. These items also are greatly appreciated and needed. The donors pay shipping to the US Virgin Islands. Samuel Raphael will then fly the cargo via Hummingbird Airlines to Dominica. He will ensure it reaches the victims.