MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — The devastation left behind by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas is also hitting close to home for many in Middle Tennessee.
While emergency efforts continue, Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney McPhee has launched a relief fund to help survivors in his home country.
"I have lived through some hurricanes growing up in the Bahamas, but there is nothing like what the Bahamian people have experienced the last couple of days," McPhee said.
McPhee remains numb from the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian in his home country as his family lives on islands hit the hardest.
His 24-year-old niece was swept away by the floods.
"She was in her home up in the attic. The water came up to that level, she moved and tried to get out and climbed up a tree next to the home and a friend who was with her went back to get someone else and when he came back she was gone," McPhee said. "They have located her body."
Fifty-one MTSU students have family and friends still on the island. While they desperately try and connect with everyone, McPhee is asking Tennesseans to make a monetary donation to the campus's Raider Relief fund. Proceeds go towards buying generators, medicine, food and whatever else survivors need.
If you would like to make a donation to our Raider Relief efforts, you can make a gift using the secure website www.mtsu.edu/supportraiderrelief, by texting "raiderrelief" to 41444 or you may contact the MTSU Development Office at 615-898-5818 for additional information or opportunities to assist.
