FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida woman spent her birthday giving out food and supplies to those in Freeport, Bahamas, who were left devastated from Hurricane Dorian’s wrath.
Regina Hepburn’s birthday wish was to return home, so her and her husband, Ellie Hepburn, flew to Freeport to help those affected by the storm.
“‘You can go anywhere for your birthday,’ and I said, ‘No, I’m going home,'” she said. “We’re just gonna go back home. We’re gonna hug some people. We’re gonna give away some food.”
7News cameras captured tray after tray filled with food being loaded onto three planes at Gold Aviation Services at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“We have a lot of relationships in the Bahamas,” Gold Aviation Services President and CEO Leonard Goldberg said, “a lot of customers, a lot of friends, so we really feel compassionate to help out the Bahamas.”
By noon, the planes — now filled with food — started their engines and began the 20-minute flight from FLL to what is left of Grand Bahama International Airport.
Dorian’s wrath devastated the homes and streets in the Hudson Estate neighborhood.
Outside Grace Bible Fellowship Church, dozens of men, women and children braved the sweltering sun to wait for a hot meal.
“We have lunch. We have a pantry set up on that side, and we’re giving out canned goods, giving out feminine products, hygienical products and just showing our people some love,” Ellie Hepburn said.
While some were able to salvage their homes, others were left with nothing, but the majority of people on Grand Bahama have no running water or no power, which means pop-up kitchens are essential to their survival.
Torran Hanna and his family are one of thousands that were left devastated by the storm.
“Trust me, guys, this is a blessing right now,” Hanna said. “Really an amazing help, believe it or not. This means more to us than water right now because some of us have not had a hot meal in about two, three weeks. Some of us don’t even have houses to go back to eat this.”
Hanna is one of many who are now homeless post-Dorian.
“Trying to get drinking water and food, basically,” Hanna said. “Yeah, just house-hopping from family member to family member right now, but other than that, it’s OK.”
Pastor Audley Swain has seen the suffering of his congregation after Dorian’s wrath.
“We want the people to stay,” Swain said. “We believe that help is coming. We know that a lot of help is here, and we believe that we should get together, and we will get through this.”
He remains confident in his community’s resiliency along with the help of their neighbors.
“They’re obviously gonna come back,” Swain said. “People are going to be able to breathe within the community, and they’re gonna rebuild their lives, and so we’re looking forward to continuing the support until we get to that point where we can make it on our own.”
7News cameras captured several stacks of supplies inside the hangar at FLL.
The Hepburns and Gold Aviation said they plan to do a lot more in the coming weeks.
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