Bahamas Habitat Announces The Completion of the
organization's 150th Haiti relief flight
Bahamas Habitat's volunteer pilots and aircraft have delivered over 125,000 pounds of food and medical supplies to the stricken island.
February 02, 2010 –– Bahamas Habitat announced today its aviation relief operation has passed a significant milestone by completing its 150th relief mission to Haiti. To date, volunteer pilots and aircraft have delivered over 125,000 pounds of medical supplies and food as well as critical medical personnel and equipment to Haiti's outlying airports using general aviation aircraft.
“This is an amazing accomplishment by everyone involved,” John Armstrong, President of Bahamas Habitat said. "When we first issued a call for help from the general aviation community, we had no idea of the magnitude of everyone's generosity."
“We have had a rush of requests from other organizations to help get injured people out and more medical supplies in. Private pilots with aircraft have been volunteering and joining in the efforts from all over the country and even Canada," Armstrong said. "We have medical, food and other supplies in Nassau and Fort Lauderdale that need to be moved in and the list medical personnel needing access to the areas we serve continues to grow."
"In the first weeks of our support efforts, we have had everything from King Airs, to Pilatus PC-12's to Bonanzas and Cessna 180's – even a Grumman Albatross is making relief flights," Armstrong said. "Our larger aircraft are moving critical equipment and medical personnel and our smaller aircraft are loading up with medical supplies, food and whatever else they can fit in. This is a demonstration of the amazing capabilities of private aviation."
“While, other relief efforts are focusing their efforts on supplying Port-au-Prince, we have been able to send our smaller aircraft to Port-du-Paix, Pignon, La Gonave, Les Cayes, Jacmel, Cap Haitien and other outlying towns and islands," stated Abraham McIntyre, the Executive Director of Bahamas Methodist Habitat and chief coordinator of the organization’s operations from “Command Central” in Nassau. "People are moving out to these areas seeking help and evacuation and the clinics and hospitals are overrun there without enough medical supplies. In many cases we are their primary lifeline.”
“We are making a difference and the impact is growing. It is amazing to see what God is doing through these outstanding volunteer aviators,” McIntyre added.
While the group's efforts have already been extremely successful, Armstrong stressed the growing need for volunteers that have piston or turbine twin-engine aircraft and high performance singles as well as "bush" type aircraft.
"These larger, more powerful aircraft can take more supplies with each flight; sometimes doubling or tripling the value of each mission, while the specialized short field aircraft can go places others can't," he said. "For example, most of the airfields we serve are over 3,000 feet of paved runway accessible to our volunteers. Then there is the example of the 150,000 people on the island of La Gonave offshore from Port-au-Prince. The normal supply is all but cut off because the small island's docks are destroyed. Some of our smaller airplanes can get in and out of the island's tiny 1,800 foot dirt strip."
Bahamas Habitat is requesting assistance in the following ways:
1. Aircraft owners and pilots: Volunteer online to make flight missions at: www.bahamashabitat.org
4. Spread the word to pilots, aircraft owners and anyone with the ability to support the relief efforts with supplies or financial contributions
5. Pray for Haiti and all the relief organizations striving to make a difference.
Bahamas Habitat is a US-based Christian nonprofit organization supporting housing repair and disaster relief work in the Bahamas. Through our partner Bahamas Methodist Habitat (BMH), operating out of James Cistern Eleuthera, we are involved in hosting over 600 adults and youth each season. Groups respond to sub-standard living conditions and natural disaster on the islands during high-impact, weeklong and weekend Christian missions. The organization also hosts the Fly-in & Help-Out Event, which offers mission opportunities to pilots, aircraft owners and aviation organizations in the US and Canada. For more information visit: http://www.bahamashabitat.org or email to info@bahamashabitat.org.
END – END – END
