Anna Duggar is on the receiving end of some criticism after she posted about a “girls night” while several members of her family are helping with Hurricane Dorian relief in the Bahamas. The mom of five is pregnant with her and husband Josh Duggar‘s sixth child, so she didn’t participate in the rescue effort. In the meantime, she’s been offering words of support on social media.
“Keep praying for those that have been affected by this terrible hurricane,” she wrote. She also commented on posts shared from the Bahamas by her family members, writing, “And [pray for] all of the people that have gone down to do relief work” and “praying for the group.”
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But when she announced her plans to “have a girls night while the guys are away,” some of her followers became upset, according to The Hollywood Gossip. The outlet wrote that “a number of ultra-sensitive Instagram users felt that it was inappropriate of Anna to use the hurricane as an excuse to have fun.”
Speaking of unfair criticism, some social media users criticized the Counting On stars who went on the relief mission. “Not to sound critical, but not one of you is a licensed doctor, pharmacist, or pharmacy tech,” one person wrote on a photo that was posted by the official Duggar family Instagram account.
“How were they able to land without an airfield. All counts say the airport is underwater,” another wrote.
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Others took to the Medic Corps Instagram page, where the family is documenting their work. “Why not join forces with an established organization such as the Red Cross?” someone criticized.
Medic Corps only established its Instagram page on Tuesday, before the family arrived in the Bahamas. Although the app does not make direct reference to the family, it is based in Springdale, Arkansas, which is the family’s home base.
Hurricane Doran pummeled the Bahamas last Sunday, with the official death toll at 40 — but expected to dramatically rise. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said that the storm left “generational devastation” behind.
“Make no bones about it, the numbers are going to be far higher than 23. It is going to be significantly higher than that,” Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands told the Nassau Guardian. “It’s just a matter of retrieving those bodies and making sure we understand how they died. It may seem as if we are splitting hairs.”
Sands said the final death toll “will be staggering,” adding, “I have never lived through anything like this and I don’t want to live through anything like this again.”