NASSAU, N.P., THE BAHAMAS – September 6, 2019 — Today, RBC Royal Bank (RBC) announced it successfully evacuated employees and their families from the island of Abaco in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

“While many areas of The Bahamas were affected by Hurricane Dorian, conditions on Abaco are particularly severe,” said LaSonya Missick, Managing Director and Head of Personal Banking for RBC in The Bahamas. “We acted to ensure the safety and security of our employees who were essentially stranded on the island. As conditions begin to normalize and the infrastructure is re-established, we will begin the process of restoring RBC banking services to our clients and the community.”

The RBC branch in Marsh Harbour was hit hard by the hurricane. The full extent of this damage is not yet known. As a result, the branch is closed until further notice. When conditions improve and there is a better understanding of the needs on the ground, RBC will look at ways to re-establish banking services for the community while clean-up efforts get underway.

“In this time of crisis the outpouring of support from our employees, clients, and communities across the Caribbean and in other parts of the world has been overwhelming,” added Missick. “Until there is more information and infrastructure, we’re asking everyone who wants to help to please donate to the Bahamas Red Cross. This organization is on the ground helping with water, food, first aid and other forms of relief and they need our support.”

RBC branches on New Providence, Exuma, and Eleuthera are open for business and the Advice Centre is fully operational to help clients with their banking needs. Clients with internet services can also access the bank’s digital and mobile platforms to perform most day-to-day banking transactions or they can visit an RBC ATM at various locations across the country.

About RBC in the Caribbean

With more than 110 years of dedicated service to the region, RBC has a presence in 17 countries and territories, with 60 branches and over 3,500 employees serving more than one million clients. As one of the Caribbean’s leading diversified financial services companies, RBC provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking, insurance and trust and asset management services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, small businesses, general commercial entities, regional and multi-national corporations and governments. For more information, please visit rbc.com/caribbean.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 86,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.‎

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-sustainability