KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Remote Area Medical (RAM) will soon deliver the life-saving gift of water to parts of the Bahamas that were devastated by Hurricane Dorian.
The East Tennessee-based organization was already planning to fly a plane-load of supplies to Haiti for an upcoming medical clinic. Now, the group is going to add a stop in the Bahamas to deliver portable water filtration systems and other relief supplies.
The 30-pound water purifiers, donated in collaboration with Air Mobile Ministries, take up less room and are much more efficient than carrying thousands of pounds of donated water. They are solar operated and can be used over and over.
"We're actually carrying enough water purifiers to make 12-thousand gallons of pure water a day, with it you can take any source that there is and purify it," said Jeff Eastman, CEO of RAM. That's enough water for 20-thousand people a day.
RAM's usual missions are medical ones. They organize volunteer medical professionals to provide free health exams and services to people right here in East Tennessee and all over the U.S. and the world.
When disasters strike, they are always ready to help, but that help may vary.
"Each disaster is different," said Eastman. "We work to meet unmet needs."
The plane was loaded today with supplies and is slated to take off in the next 24 hours.
Volunteers loaded the RAM plane on Wednesday with the supplies and will leave on Thursday morning for Haiti. Eastman said the timeline for flying into the Bahamas will depend on weather and other conditions. But they'll get there as soon as possible.
"It's a matter of life or death down there right now," said Eastman.