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NEW BEDFORD — Sara Andrade jumped out of a large, brown pickup when she arrived at the Cape Verdean Vets Hall Saturday morning. She was on a mission.
A native of the Cabo Verdean island of Santo Antão, she immediately opened doors and started to grab boxes as volunteers swarmed the truck, swiftly loading boxes of diapers, antibacterial wipes, food products and clothing onto dollies.
The items are destined for Cabo Verde where, on Aug. 11, what would develop into Hurricane Erin slammed into the island and its neighbor São Vicente.
“I was scared when I first heard about it,” Andrade said, taking a break between carrying boxes. “It was a wake-up call that we should probably be more prepared for things like this in the future.”
Andrade was among the hundreds of people that dropped off supplies to be organized and packed by 40 volunteers, according to event organizer Eydie Matteos. She said the community did it out of solidarity with their brethren abroad.
“It’s a soul contract we made with our ancestors,” the São Vicente native said. ‘It’s important to give back. And because we made it out, we should help them.”
By all accounts, São Vicente was the harder hit of the two islands. According to the Portuguese paper Público, the storm unleashed 7½ inches of rainfall upon the islands in less than five hours, an amount 3 inches higher than the island’s average annual rainfall. The resulting landslides left nine dead and dozens without a home.
The deaths prompted the government of the island republic to declare a two-day period of national mourning. The government also distributed €181 in compensation to each of the families of the dead.
Several Lusophone countries have issued statements of solidarity including Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe, and Timor-Leste. The Portuguese Navy has sent a ship to the island as part of the recovery effort.
Local CVs organize
Matteos, the owner of Healing Villa, a reiki and retail shop in Marion, said she immediately jumped into action when she learned of the storm through news outlets and social media.
“I came here when I was 9, so I still have family there,” she said. “We have two family members who did lose everything, but thankfully they were able to find a place with friends.”
She also launched a fundraiser through her business’ Facebook page that has raised $6,000 to help the island. She added that multiple officials, including Mayor Jonathan Mitchell, City Council President Shane Burgo, and Ward 4 City Councilor Derek Baptiste contributed to the effort.
All in all, Matteo said the event collected enough supplies to ship 10 barrels to the islands and send dozens of boxes to The Bisca Club, which is also involved in relief efforts.
“It was a beautiful day!” she said.
At the International Church of the Nazarene, Fátima Andrade, also a native of São Vicente, challenged the congregation to collect three barrels full of supplies to send to the islands via a Fall River shipping company.
“São Vicente has always been my life and when the storm happened, it was a kind of shock,” she said in Portuguese, adding that she immediately spoke with the island’s Nazarene church superintendent to see what they needed. She said the list included items such as adult and baby diapers, food supplies, clothing, and medical kits.
“On Sunday, I launched this challenge to see how well we could help our people on São Vicente,” Andrade said in Portuguese. “We were able to send out six barrels by the grace of God.”
The church continues to collect donations at multiple sites throughout the city including: City Hall Room 113; 181 Hillman St., Bldg. 9; and the church itself located at 286 Pleasant St. Drop-off times are: Monday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Darlene Spencer, president of the board of directors for the Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford, said the tragedy even prompted her group to switch focus.
“Our lane is arts and culture,” she said. “Responding to this crisis has been interesting.”
She said that her organization has taken on a proactive role in helping to plan and sponsor events around the crisis.
“In order for something to be impactful, it has to be planful,” Spencer said. “We, as a diaspora, have to be very planful in how we support them.”
Spencer emphasized the importance of the diaspora in Cabo Verde’s economy historically and in the present. According to data from The World Bank, remittances from abroad made up over 28% of the nation’s gross domestic product in 1980. As of 2024, that number stood at just over 12%. Approximately 10% of New Bedford’s population identifies as Cabo Verdean.
“I think it’s fantastic that we have such a generous diaspora,” she said.
‘Challenges’ to be addressed
Spencer also noted the importance of taking account of who was impacted.
“The folks that were impacted were those that were already fragile,” she said. “These are folks that were living in conditions that were already compromised to a certain degree.”
She also said that many low-income Cabo Verdeans built homes out of cost effective materials such as metal sheeting in areas prone to mudslides.
“I think the government has to look at how they are supporting the most vulnerable in their country,” she continued. “This storm and its fatalities have revealed some challenges that need to be addressed.”
Situated in the path of dry Harmattan winds coming in off the Sahel, Cabo Verde is known as an arid land. Indeed, a 2025 report from the nation’s National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics predicted that rainfall this year would be lower than average for the archipelago.
“That is unnatural. That is not normal,” Matteos said of the low rainfall. “It’s been really catastrophic.”
It also hammered home the idea that things are changing, something locals said their friends and the family have noticed in recent years.
“The islands are not prepared for [rains] because historically there has not been much rain,” Andrade said. “But even on the islands, people are noticing that, like everywhere else, weather is changing.”
But for the organizers, the focus is on the moment and community.
“There is no ‘I’m from Praia’ or ‘I’m from Brava,’” Spencer said. “This tragedy cuts across islands and everybody recognizes the depth of the tragedy.”
Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@newbedfordlight.org.
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