How Travelers Can Help Hurricane-Damaged Islands – The New …

Similar programs are being offered by other hotels and tour operators, including opportunities to clear debris from a river and, for scuba divers, to clean garbage deposited on the ocean floor by the storm. The island tourism board, Discover Dominica, maintains a list of opportunities.

Many of the luxury resorts on Anguilla are still rebuilding post-Irma, but the Four Seasons Resort Anguilla, which reopened in March, plans to offer guests opportunities to participate in island cleanups through the charity Anguilla Stronger founded by Starwood Capital Group, which owns the resort. On Fridays and Saturdays, guests may also assist in distributing bags of groceries and household supplies to islanders. Zemi Beach House, another partner in the relief charity, also offers its guests opportunities to volunteer at the distribution center.

Cruise ships in the region are also making voluntourism part of shore excursions. Royal Caribbean Cruises takes passengers to the San Juan community of La Perla for projects like soap making and tree planting. Some enterprising passengers have suggested and helped build a hydroponic garden.

When they visit San Juan, Celebrity Cruises ships also offer trips to La Perla for passengers interested in volunteering in the soup kitchen or the community garden or working with children or the elderly.

Princess Cruises has announced a new series of service-focused cruises, called Travel Deep sailings, that will participate in volunteer activities on hurricane-impacted islands including Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Past trips have included building furniture on St. Thomas and removing over a ton of trash from Guana Bay on St. Maarten.

In the Florida Keys, which were also hit by Hurricane Irma, volunteers can email keydeer@fws.gov to volunteer to clean debris from the National Key Deer Refuge, a U.S. Fish Wildlife Refuge that provides vital habitat for endangered Key deer.

On Key West, Casa Marina resort named Christine Steinhauser its director of human resources and voluntourism. She primarily works with groups staying at the hotel to link them with volunteer projects in the islands, such as rebuilding trailer homes. Individual guests can also contact her through the concierge to volunteer their time.

While cleanup has largely been completed, areas of need remain.

Volunteer organizations, she said, “are still here, still working, still assisting with projects. They branch off in so many different areas you could take your pick of working in warehouses of food goods, delivering clothing and food and water or helping with reconstruction.”