Ryan Nicol
House Democratic Leader Kionne McGhee and state Rep. Shevrin Jones were on hand Thursday to help deliver supplies to victims of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.
Those shipments were being delivered out of the Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport and being flown into Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.
Joining the lawmakers were Consulate General Linda Treco-Mackey of the Bahamas, as well as Parliamentary Secretary Iram Lewis. Several South Florida faith leaders were also on hand.
Jones, who was elected Wednesday to lead the Broward legislative delegation in 2020, has been vocal about aiding Dorian victims in the Bahamas. He has family living on the island who were affected by the storm.
Jones has been promoting donation drives and also urged U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott to push the Donald Trump administration to waive visa requirements for Bahamians seeking refuge in the U.S.
Dorian struck the island as a Category 5 storm, causing extensive damage.
Several groups have been attempting to collect donations to send to those affected by Hurricane Dorian. Sonless Martin, who works in political communications, has helped organized some of those efforts and was also on hand Thursday.
The donations being flown out came from various sources. That includes collection efforts headed by McGhee, state Sen. Annette Taddeo and several other local officials earlier in the week.
Partners for Thursday’s effort include World Hope International, MAP International, Lift Non-Profit Logistics, Direct Relief, YachtAid Global, Sol Relief and Global Support and Development.
While legitimate donation efforts are plentiful after Dorian’s impact, Attorney General Ashley Moody also warned Thursday against scam efforts. Be sure to contact local officials or leaders to ensure those donation efforts are legitimate.
