Hampton University in Virginia is offering to let college students at the University of the Bahamas-North take classes at Hampton free for a semester after Category 5 Hurricane Dorian devastated the islands last week.
Hampton says students from Bahamas-North will be allowed to take classes during the fall 2019 semester and receive room and board. After the semester ends, those students will be given the option to stay and continue their education at the regular rate for tuition and fees.
“I think this agreement is something that can be helpful to a great number of students and families and is part of something I’ve tried to do my entire career – helping people to achieve and meet their goals,” Hampton University President Dr. William R. Harvey said in a statement.
Harvey is a former Administrative Vice President and Chief Planning Officer at Hampton University.
The government in the Bahamas said Sunday the death toll from Hurricane Dorian has risen by one to 44. Officials have warned that the number of deaths is likely to rise as security forces and other teams search devastated areas of the northern Bahamas.
The government also announced a telephone hotline where Bahamians can call to report family members who have been unaccounted for since the storm.
At least five deaths have been blamed on the storm in the Southeastern U.S. and one in Puerto Rico.
Authorities are scrambling to find shelter for tens of thousands left homeless by the storm.