As residents try to pick up the pieces of what remains of their shattered lives after Hurricane Dorian barreled into the Bahamas and unleashed its fury while camped there for hours on end, rescuers are still working hard to bring in much needed emergency supplies such as drinking water, food and medical supplies.

"Children and their families who survived the hurricane have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their relatives, and have been left with little water or food", said Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

As with any disaster that leaves such destruction and devastation in its wake, the need for safe drinking water is paramount, especially for vulnerable survivors such as young children. With infrastructure in tatters, water supplies are either non-existent or simply unsafe to drink due to contamination from storm surge, silt, debris and sewage overflows. To prevent further deaths from diseases such as cholera, survivors need access to clean drinking water fast. In the days following a natural disaster on a scale such as this, safe drinking water is always the most urgent and valuable lifesaving item, especially for mothers and children — the Bahamas is no exception.

The aftermath of hurricane dorian in the bahamas

But with the airport having been practically obliterated, getting these much needed supplies in to desperate survivors is no easy task. In fact it has proven to be a logistical nightmare. UNICEF's first shipment of relief supplies — including water, sanitation and health supplies — that will provide a lifeline to the more than 9,500 children and their families trying to survive the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian have finally arrived in the Bahamas. The shipment includes 2 weeks supply of water purification tablets for 9,500 people.

However, based on figures released by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, UNICEF estimates that there are around 18,000 children in the Abaco and Grand Bahama area that are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

A UNICEF team who is on the ground in the Bahamas to assess the situation and need have described 'widespread devastation and destruction' with hospitals and schools having been flattened, roads and houses collapsed, and boats and cars left dangling from trees.

"The full scale of the destruction on the ground is still being assessed, but initial assessments indicate that in some parts of Abaco, roads, ports and other transport facilities have been partly or totally destroyed," said Mr. Abdel-Jelil.

Preliminary assessments and aerial surveys indicate that flood waters are likely to have compromised water supplies and sanitation systems in and around Abaco and some parts of Grand Bahama, posing a potential health risk of waterborne diseases to children and their families.

"Damaged infrastructure makes the delivery of humanitarian aid extremely challenging," he added. "The most vulnerable families, especially children, are likely to be the hardest to reach".

UNICEF and its humanitarian partners are working hand-in-hand with the Bahamian government to ensure that these lifesaving supplies are distributed to families in need as soon as possible. The United Nations Children's Fund has put out an urgent appeal for 4 million dollars to boost its humanitarian response and bring critically needed supplies, including provision of safe drinking water, sanitation, adequate nutrition and psychosocial support to children and families left stranded in the Bahamas.

With climate change making extreme weather events seem like the new normal, it is a good idea to take some precautions to ensure you are adequately prepared for such an event should you ever have the misfortune of being affected. Prepare a survival kit or grab bag containing an assortment of preparedness goodies that at the very least includes some method of providing you with safe drinking water. Ensure that you have a supply of water purification tablets, or better still, invest in a portable drinking water filter that is able to remove pathogens and provide you with an indefinite supply of safe drinking water. This will ensure you are able to keep safely hydrated for the long haul, and may prove to be a lifesaver if you are cut off from the world and it's difficult for aid workers to get supplies to you.