ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Volunteer pilots with SOL Relief, a nonprofit disaster relief group, continue to airlift vital supplies to the Bahamas, devastated by Hurricane Dorian. 

Ready-to-eat meals, medical supplies, generators, and water filtration systems are being loaded onto planes provided by St. Pete Air and will fly from Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg. 

“We actually flew a reconnaissance flight while Hurricane Dorian was still over the Bahamas.  Our first supply flight touched down as soon as the storm cleared airspace. We were greeted with tears and hugs of appreciation that I will never forget,” said SOL Relief founder Jennifer Lockwood.

The volunteer pilots, including St. Pete Air's President and founder Billy Auer, are now making six trips a day to the affected areas. 

“We have to do everything possible to reach the 70,000 residents of the Abaco and Grand Bahamas Islands who are in great danger with unsanitary, grave conditions and little hope,” said Auer. “We want to take our Bahamian neighbors food and other critical supplies to ease this tragic situation for them.”

The group, which got its start delivering disaster relief in Hurricanes Irma and Maria, already has hangers full of supplies donated by the community. It’s now mounted a fundraising drive to support its fleet of 200 volunteer pilots with planes and fuel to increase these relief effort missions.

If you would like to help, contributions can be made at www.SOLRelief.org.