A Toronto-based charity is sending more than 1,000 water purification units to the Bahamas in the wake of the widespread devastation caused to parts of the archipelago by Hurricane Dorian.

The storm pummeled Abaco and Grand Bahama islands with torrential rain and winds of up to 295 km/h, leaving a trail of destruction in its path.

In the wake of the storm, GlobalMedic is deploying seven members of its rapid response team to the Bahamas today.

The volunteers will be split into two teams. One of the teams is bringing drones and will be responsible for conducting aerial surveillance that will be shared with emergency officials planning the response to the hurricane on the ground.

The other team, meanwhile, will be installing water purification units in shelters and distributing more than 1,000 emergency relief kits to families in some of the hardest hit areas in the Bahamas. Each kit includes a personal water purification unit, a solar light, hygienic products and Oral Rehydration Solutions.

“That (the initial kits) should be enough for about 5,000 people but it is just phase one and we are going to ramp up from there because we know this is big and people need help,” GlobalMedic Executive Director Rahul Singh told CP24 on Wednesday morning. “We don’t know how long we are going to be there as an agency but we are going to be there from day one w and we are going to keep delivering aid because there are 60,000 folks affected by this storm and let’s face it a lot of them are going to need things like clean drinking water and food for some time to come.”

At least seven deaths were reported in the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, though the full impact of the storm remains largely unknown with Prime Minister Hubert Minnis calling it “one of the greatest national crises in our country's history.”

Singh said that the Bahamas will be the 72nd different country that GlobalMedic has deployed to following an emergency.

He said that volunteers aren’t entirely sure what to expect but will be prepared for the worst.

“It is bad. The first area that they could do an assessment of they came back with some pretty horrific announcements of what is going on,” he said.