Northeast Florida stepping up to help the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A pilot and missionary for Adventures in God’s Creation, Jimbo Stockton, said the work of restoring life in the Bahamas to what it was before will be daunting.

“We’ve been doing this for years,” said Stockton. “Except this one’s different.”

Stockton’s coordinating volunteers and supplies to make their way to the Bahamas to help those in need after Hurricane Dorian.

He says he kept getting messages on social media, asking how to help. In turn, the group coordinated an early evening meeting in Jacksonville Beach.

“This is so catastrophic,” he said.

Action News Jax: Convoy of Care for Hurricane Dorian victims in the Bahamas

The mission, along with the Island Crisis Flyers, is coordinating boaters and pilots to take all of the supplies they can to the Bahamas.

Right now, they’re just waiting for NEMA and FAA clearance. The relief efforts will come in phases, but now they say it’s getting people what they need most.

President of Boomerang Air Charter Elliot Mintzer sat down with Action News Jax inside a plane getting ready to make trips to the Bahamas to deliver supplies to those in need.

“People have nowhere to go,” said Mintzer. “So we have to bring everything that we possibly can to help to bring them some sort of normalcy.”

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​​​​​​Steve Maxwell’s company owns the plane. The two arrived at the St. Augustine airport this afternoon.

There, the aircraft will be prepared for the flight. The seats will be removed to make room for pallets of supplies.

“At the end of the day, we’re all the same on the inside,” said Maxwell. “We bleed red blood, we have needs. Basic needs.”

Beyond the damage to homes and loss of life, Mintzer tells Action News Jax that Dorian’s impact will be felt on the economy there, too.

“They need everything we could possibly give them,” said Mintzer. “People really don’t understand the magnitude of what’s happened. The whole area relies on tourism, whether it’s fishing or resort-type activities, but that’s all gone.”

Maxwell is grateful to see people are willing to help.

“The beautiful thing about our country, with all of our issues,” he said. “When it comes to people being in trouble, America will step up.”

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