This post was written and reported by Darlena Cunha, through our Daily Kos freelance program.
A week after Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle, many people in the area have gone into starvation mode, according to Leah Tedder, a nurse on the ground. Without water and food, with their hospitals damaged and unable to take in patients, with roads blocked by the remains of torn-up houses and trees, the residents of Panama City, Mexico Beach, Marianna and so many other regions were left alone in the dark.
“Our hospital looked like a war zone, with beds in the hallways and transfers coming, our day staff were exhausted and our nurses tired and weary,” Tedder posted publicly on Facebook, as she continued to help Dr. Naba Zabih operate his free pop-up clinic in Panama City. “I had a patient last night that was just found yesterday in his trailer. He was severely dehydrated to the point he may need more intervention for his kidneys to function. He said he didn’t have food or anything to drink and could not get up.”
FEMA is there. Donald Trump visited, along with Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott, and they passed out some water bottles. But residents and region officials alike say aid isn’t reaching them. At least not fast enough.
“Can you imagine having a baby in diapers and suddenly there are no more diapers? And there is no way to wash clothes?” said Erin Porter, the marketing manager for Gainesville Regional Airport, which partnered with Operation Airdrop to fill in gaps where the federal government is falling short.
Operation Airdrop started as a loose conglomerate of pilots gathered together by Doug Jackson. After Hurricane Harvey, he started flying supplies in his own plane, and he put out a call on aviation forums and Facebook for other volunteer pilots. He started with 75; today the number stands at 750. Pilots can sign up, register and submit their email addresses to get a brief when storms like Michael come through, leaving infrastructure in tatters in their wake. Then the pilots go to work.
This time, they flew more than 50,000 pounds of supplies into the heart of the tragedy, making more than 100 flights there over a few days.
Meanwhile, politicians like Scott seem intent on shaming the survivors in the ravaged area for not evacuating. As if evacuation is something easily accomplished. Many people had to stay behind; they were infirm or they don’t have access to a car or other transportation, or they have older parents to take care of, or they couldn’t leave work in time to get out before traffic got them stuck in a vehicle on the road for the worst of the storm. Any number of reasons caused people to stay, and those people still need and deserve help.
Anthony Stevens ferried food into the hardest hit communities, like Port St. Joe. He said Operation Airdrop was life-saving in its ability to move supplies quickly where agencies like The Red Cross couldn’t get in.
“It’s like a highway to hell there,” Stevens said. “Total destruction. Streets pushed back, streets just not there anymore. Just gone. You take a chainsaw and a chain and four-wheel drive truck and you cut the wires from the telephone poles, and you get through it. You do what you have to do.”
The volunteer group of pilots donated their time, their planes, and their fuel, all in order to drop off necessary survival items in areas where roads were impassable and the victims needed them immediately. IV supplies, diapers, wipes, tarps, tents, cots, food, pet supplies, and more were stacked in a hangar at the Gainesville Regional Airport, sorted by type and weight, then prepared for shipping by packing them on pallets. Then volunteers loaded everything onto small personal planes for Hurricane Michael victims.
“These pilots are flying all day, and they come from all over,” said Brent Fontana, a pilot who flew in all the way from Arkansas. “Everyone has their causes, and from now on, this is going to be one of mine.”
Once the pilots arrived, local volunteers wheeled the goods out to their planes, and helped load them as quickly as they can. The pilots took off, headed to the hardest struck areas, where they unloaded and volunteers on the other end delivered items to those in need.
Much like the better-known Cajun Navy of Louisiana, which used boats and other means to ferry supplies to people affected by natural disasters, the pilots of Operation Airdrop organize quickly and fluidly to assess needs and fill them immediately.
For instance, University of Florida Health donated thousands of gloves and IV hydration to the pop-up in Panama City, which sees more than 150 people a day. The goods got there within hours.
“We got a handwritten note from Leah Tedder, requesting supplies,” Porter said. “UF Health cleared what they could—IV drips, non-controlled substances, and the like—and they showed up with trucks and three large pallets for those who needed medical help. I get a lump in my throat, just thinking about it.”
Residents of Florida poured in, donating whatever they could spare, from one or two boxes of pet food, to entire U-Hauls of non-perishable food and water. People drove from as far as four hours down the coast to donate. In addition, Operation Airdrop partnered with World Hope International, which secured massive donations from Amazon itself, and Prime boxes with their trademark smiles sat in every corner of the building.
“Amazon Corporate bought this stuff. They asked for lists and procured it and delivered it here,” said John Lyon, president of World Hope International. When the storm hit on Wednesday, World Hope was in talks with Amazon the very next day, and the shipments arrived by Monday. They began this partnership after Hurricane Florence, and with the infrastructure already in place, demands and requests can be more quickly and easily filled.
As for Operation Airdrop itself, it started as a loose conglomerate of pilots gathered together by Jackson. After Hurricane Harvey, he started flying supplies in his own plane, and he put out a call on aviation forums and Facebook for other volunteer pilots. He started with 75. Today the number stands at 750. Pilots can sign up, register and submit their email addresses to get a brief when storms like Michael come through, leaving infrastructure in tatters in their wake. Then the pilots go to work.
This time, they flew more than 50,000 pounds of supplies into the heart of the tragedy, making more than 100 flights there over a few days.
“I had a 12-year-old girl who had just got out of Shands, living in a small community outside of Bristol, and they had run out of dressings for her wounds,” Stevens said. “I called saying I needed the supplies right then. They couldn’t get her out, couldn’t get anyone in, and it was two hours from when I made that call to Gainesville that I had the supplies in hand for the family.”
Corporations, non-profits, local businesses, and area residents have banded together to save lives in the aftermath of natural disaster. The goodwill of humanity prevailed, and did so across so many dividing lines.
“The most amazing thing is that these volunteers, you probably couldn’t get them in a room together otherwise, but here, they are for the common goal,” said Brian Rambo, who serves on the board of Operation Airdrop.
“You see people come together in times like these, despite politics, race, religion,” Lyon said. “You realize we have a lot more in common than not in common.”
“It’s emotional and humbling,” said Jordan Wolff, a West Palm Beach banner-towing pilot, who rented a plane and flew supplies for three days. “I just got in the air, dropped off the stuff, and got back here as soon as I could to do it again.”
In the midst of natural disaster, these citizens of the United States have stepped up and flown in.
“Some of those communities, it will be four to five weeks before they’re able to cook a meal in their homes,” Stevens said. “We’ve been feeding 5,000 to 7,000 people a day, and these guys can do it because they’re not bogged down in bureaucracy and red-tape.”
We can only hope our government is able to pick up where the residents leave off.
Darlena Cunha is a freelance writer who frequently contributes to TIME, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Florida, where she teaches journalism.
Read more of Darlena’s work here.
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