FedEx and Amazon Air are both operating humanitarian relief flights to stricken communities in the Bahamas devastated by Hurricane Dorian.
FedEx delivered more than 56,000 pounds of critical aid and emergency supplies via a dedicated flight, through its relationships with Direct Relief, International MedicalCorps, Team Rubicon and Water Missions.
Team members loaded the FedEx Express Boeing 757F yesterday in Memphis with medicines and medical supplies, hygiene kits, water treatment systems as well as International Medical Corps’ Mobile Health Facility.
The freighter also carried employee relief supplies and generators for FedEx team members. Everything was unloaded upon arrival in Nassau where relief organizations had teams on the ground ready to deliver the critical aid where it’s needed most.
“Many of the people in these hard-hit communities have lost everything and are in desperate need of help.
“On behalf of the more than 450,000 FedEx team members around the world, we are proud to be able to use our global network to provide these lifesaving resources,” said Raj Subramaniam, president and COO, FedEx Corporation.
“We are inspired by the passion of these organizations and their commitment to making a difference in the lives of others, and we will continue to work with them as they help with recovery efforts.”
Meanwhile, Amazon Air said it is to operate humanitarian relief flights to the Bahamas through partnerships with the Red Cross, the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation and its customers.
Two Amazon Air flights will depart on missions to deliver tens of thousands of Amazon-donated relief items and a curated wish list of emergency supplies to non-profit partners providing aid in the Bahamas. Aid includes relief items such as tarps, buckets and water containers.
Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane with winds reaching 185mph, which matched the highest ever recorded at landfall, and stayed over affected areas for two days.
The Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama were particularly hard hit with video footage showing total obliteration of portions of the islands and large areas completely submerged by floodwater. In the country of about 400,000 people, local officials estimate that more than 70,000 are homeless and in need of food, water and shelter.
Amazon said relief organizations report a dire situation on the ground and have encountered serious challenges in delivering aid due to the devastation of local infrastructure.
Amazon is shipping relief items from fulfillment centres around the country to an Amazon centre in Tampa where they will be packed, palletised and transported to the Tampa air gateway and loaded onto the Amazon Air freighters for Nassau. Amazon’s nonprofit partners on the ground in the Bahamas will distribute the supplies to those in need.
“We are deeply saddened by the news that continues to come out of the Bahamas following this unprecedented hurricane,” said Dave Clark, Amazon SVP, worldwide operations.
