Virginia college offers tuition-free semester to displaced Bahamas students

Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A Virginia university has announced it will offer one tuition-free semester for students in the Bahamas displaced by Hurricane Dorian.

The Category 5 storm inflicted tremendous damage in the commonwealth this week and killed at least 30 people.

Virginia's Hampton University said it has partnered with the University of the Bahamas to help students continue their education in the United States. The president at the Bahamas college is a former Hampton administrator.

"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 William Harvey said in a statement Thursday.

All affected students are eligible to receive education, room and board for one semester, and the option to stay for more.

"Hampton has been the educational choice for many Bahamians over its long history," said Hampton alumnus and Bahamian native Lawrence Rigby. "Young Bahamians from Abaco and Grand Bahama who are looking for the tools to rebuild their lives and our home will find them at Hampton."

Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the United States Friday, on the North Carolina Coast. The National Hurricane Center said in its mid-morning advisory the eye of the Category 1 storm was about 115 miles southeast of Hampton, Va.