Founded in 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Texas-based non-profit relief organization Operation Airdrop has experience dealing with the worst of Mother Nature. However, the situation in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa’s strike on the island nation is unlike any prior effort for the volunteer group.
Executive Director Russ Keith reported that the group’s first flights recently departed Miami Executive Airport (TMB), beginning with a Pilatus PC-12 carrying construction tools, chain saws and other supplies to Montego Bay, and was followed by a loaded-up Beechcraft King Air.
Keith and other volunteers have been working since the storm passed through Jamaica to gather donated supplies at the group’s temporary operations base at Reliance Aviation at TMB. “I’ve got quite a bit to go on future flights, including 500 pounds of Tyvek suits ready to go here,” Keith said. “Folks up in Kissimmee [FL] are gathering other items for us to pick up and get down there.”
The group keeps an updated Amazon list of the most critically needed equipment and supplies – including protective gear, battery-operated emergency radios and extra-large bags. The list is also posted to the Operation Airdrop Facebook page.
“The list is something of a moving target,” Keith said. “People can purchase the listed items to donate and have them sent to our hangar. We’ll also accept in-person donations, but only of the supplies and equipment listed.”
In Jamaica, Operation Airdrop is working with several international NGOs at a mission base in Ocho Rios, about 40 miles north-northwest of Kingston, to distribute needed supplies.
Unlike with previous stateside relief efforts, securing necessary permits to enter Jamaica was one early challenge for the group. “Jamaican aviation is just locked down,” Keith said. “You must submit a packet that’s about 25 pages long; a big portion of that covers insurance. It’s a ton of information.”
Fortunately, Keith found an ally in the Jamaican government. “In fact, she called us today to confirm a couple of things,” he added. “We’re looking at a couple of hours for approvals now, instead of a day or two.”
Operation Airdrop also posted an urgent call on social media for doctors and medical personnel, due to “devastation beyond what some have seen in disasters such as Haiti, Lahaina, CZ Fires, and Ukraine,” wrote Dr. Rhys Dapar with Ground Force Humanitarian Aid. “The people are in desperate need of healthcare workers in all capacities.”
Those able to provide such assistance may contact Clayton Boyer on WhatsApp at 831-295-3184, or email at claytonboyer@groundforce.ngo. Financial donations can also be made at www.operationairdrop.org.
