Photo by: Nicholas Mohnacky
South Floridians were spared from a direct hit by Hurricane Matthew as the deadly storm pin-balled up the U.S. coastline, moving directly over the Bahamas. Following the storm, a team of surfers who own private planes and volunteers mobilized direct impact relief efforts by way of air and land to the West End & San Andros.
“We were incredibly fortunate, here in Palm Beach, to have missed a direct hit by Hurricane Matthew,” said Kent Anderson, a pilot who has been donating his time and aircraft. “Unfortunately, that proved to be an extreme opposite for our neighbors less than 70 miles off our coast. So, we are doing everything in our power to help them get back on their feet in the near-term; it’s the least we can do.”
Pilots and surfers Ed Hinckley, Alex Bussey, James Harms, Troy Booker, Matthew Pirrie and Kent Anderson have donated their time, planes and personal resources to act as first responders. Collectively they’ve made about a dozen trips, delivering more than 6,000 lbs of supplies thanks to Cheney Brothers, Sneakz and community donations.
Making their way into a private airport, the team resourcefully found a way to be first on the ground. With a fleet of small planes and community members capable of self sufficiency, they effectively delivered food, water, generators, grills, propane and basic medical supplies to people in isolated regions of the Bahamas as the Bahamian people await big-aid.
Photo by: Nicholas Mohnacky
Following the 2010 earthquake the Red Cross raised over $500 million for Haiti. But Haiti received only approximately half of those funds. Surfer and photographer Ben Horton was on the ground covering the recovery efforts for National Geographic, and observed these “aid” donations being sold for prices as high as $20 for a bag of rice.
With corruption and greed tainting major aid organizations, what options do we have if the goal really is to provide help to those in need? In Ben’s 2011 National Geographic News story on Haiti, he showed that grass roots organizations, and sometimes just individuals with the motivation and the means, often spent over 80% of the aid dollars donated to them on direct aid.
Supplies such as water, food, tarps, chainsaws, generators, candles and mosquito repellent are also still being collected.
All contributions are designated solely for relief and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Matthew. Hard costs include fuel, medical supplies, food, water and transportation. And donations will not be used to pay for their time, equipment or work.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about direct aid efforts in the wake of Hurricane Matthew here.
Photo by: Nicholas Mohnacky
