Agape Flights planning emergency response to the Caribbean after Hurricane Melissa

Agape flights waiting to bring aid to Jamaica

FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon shares the work being done in Venice to help bring supplies to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa rolls past.

VENICE, Fla.  - Loaded up and ready to go. Agape Flights of Venice is in a holding pattern as they wait for Hurricane Melissa to pass before they can bring aid to Jamaica and beyond.  For decades, this has been their work, helping missionaries throughout the Caribbean. They also help countries in the face of disaster.

What we know:

At Agape Flights there's not a person whose mind isn't focused on Jamaica and the Caribbean right now.  "It's very important that people begin to pray for the people on the ground, because they will go through some tough times. It’s the aftermath," said Agape Flights CEO Allen Speer. 

HURRICANE MELISSA: Category 5 storm makes landfall in Jamaica

Speer has been working with partners like Mercy Chef and MTN2SEA Ministries to ensure necessary materials and provisions are ready. Agape Flights has also partnered with IBC Airways in Miami to lease larger planes for the haul. 

"They're going to need supplies immediately, like generators, tarps, tents. All of those things we are already kind of getting ready in Miami for delivery," said Speer. 

Why you should care:

Agape Flights will be helping more than just Jamaica. They’ll be working throughout the Caribbean to see what’s needed throughout the region.  "We will have an assessment team on the ground. We will be making assessments with our partner ministries as to what is needed first," said Speer. 

Agape Flights has been in close contact with ministries in Haiti, the Bahamas and Cuba. 

Agape Flights expects to be helping each country with basic needs and necessities during the hurricane recovery.  "It takes a lot of partnerships and people who do things well to come in together and work together," said Speer. 

What's next:

For now, all they can do is wait and see what hurricane Melissa will bring. As each hour goes by, they prepare to get their planes and supplies ready for those in need. 

"We can’t make any decisions today because we don’t know, what we don’t know. The condition of the airport, or if the airport will be closed. There’s so many factors in this, but as soon as we can and as soon as we can get flight clearance (we'll go)," said Speer. 

Agape Flights will not be able to fly directly into Cuba, they have a partner that will conduct those shipments.  That's because they've been working to get their license to fly into Cuba renewed, but the government shutdown has stopped that from happening. 

To learn how you can help Agape Flights, click here.