St. Pete group is looking for supplies and pilots for Hurricane Dorian relief efforts

The group Sol Relief is collecting supplies and planning relief missions to the Bahamas to provide necessities for Hurricane Dorian victims.

Supplies can be delivered to St. Pete Air located at 107 8th Ave. SE Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The group asks that only items on its list be donated.

They are also looking for experienced pilots to volunteer to fly supplies to affected areas as well as tax-deductible monetary contributions.

Pilot applications and donation forms are available on the group’s website. All of the donated proceeds go to the group’s mission of providing relief to hurricane victims.

Requested donations include:

— Generators

— Extension cords

— Work gloves

— Chainsaws and chains

— Chainsaw bar oil

— Gas cans

— Duct tape

— Tarps

— Hammers and nails

— Battery operated fans

— Batteries

— Flashlights

— Bug Spray

— Mosquito nets

— Unused blankets

— Cleaning supplies

— Nonperishable food

— Hygiene products

— Baby supplies

— Pet food

— Over-the-counter medical supplies

— Solar phone chargers

— Phone battery packs

— Trash bags

— Disinfecting wipes

— Sunscreen

— Camping lights (solar or battery powered)

Local pilot and former St. Croix resident in the U.S. Virgin Islands Jennifer Lockwood launched the non-profit Sol Relief in late 2017 after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean.

Lockwood partnered with St. Pete Air, a flight school located at Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Pete, and the Glasscock Family Foundation to create a disaster relief mission using small aircraft to provide immediate aid to the Caribbean.

The group is already sending volunteer crews to deliver supplies, according to a Facebook post Tuesday morning.

Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane Sunday and has continued battering the islands with hurricane-force winds as it moves away from the islands at a crawl. The storm is now about 100 miles off Florida’s east coast. It’s expected to turn north sometime Tuesday and continue moving north just off the coast toward Georgia and the Carolinas throughout the week.