Medical Cadets Assist in Dorian Recovery Efforts

Medical Cadets assist in Dorian recovery efforts Fresh drinking water is one of the basic items that Bahamian residents need. Photo courtesy of World Service Organization of Seventh-day Adventists

As Hurricane Dorian bore down on The Bahamas and threatened landfall along the Eastern seaboard, Medical Cadet Corps (MCC) units began preparations to respond with assistance as needed.

“Our Cadets and officers are trained to provide spiritual comfort or “Spiritual First Aid,” and other services such as first aid, relief, rescue, humanitarian aid in times of emergency and disaster, as well as logistical support,” says MCC Major General Dionisio Olivo, Atlantic Union Conference Corps Commander and Commanding Officer for the Hurricane Dorian Response.

Florida Medical Cadet Corps units are collecting, sorting, and packing donations for Hurricane Dorian survivors. The weekend of September 21-22 they worked at three locations in Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville, Florida. Donations will be accepted September 27- 30 at four locations in the Greater Miami, Florida area.

“The Orlando and Tampa containers are full and a total of seven containers will ship to the Bahamas,” reports MCC Sergeant David Perez. “If we have more donations than we can fit in the containers, the remainder will be sent to Texas to assist with the flooding victims there.”

“MCCs in Massachusetts are collecting funds that will be used in the Dorian response. We are anticipating to deploy both Cadets and officers to the Bahamas, according to the needs of ADRA,” says Major General Olivo. “We are working closely with ADRA Bahamas and ADRA-IAD to determine how the MCCs can best assist once they are deployed there.”

The Medical Cadet Corps operates under the umbrella of the World Service Organization, based at the Seventh-day Adventist World Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Cadets serve their local communities in times of peace, during national emergencies, and in disaster response.