Fort Myers Beach native helps with disaster relief efforts in the Bahamas
Dennis Price Jr., a 37-year-old Fort Myers Beach native, was in Puerto Rico volunteering with OpenWorld Relief when the organization deployed him to Marsh Island, Bahamas, after Hurricane Dorian devastated the area as a raging Category 5 over Labor Day weekend.
OpenWorld Relief is a 501(3) that was created to empower communities worldwide that are impacted by natural disasters.
Dennis Price, Price Jr.’s father, said that his son has dedicated most of his adult life to humanitarianism.
“He finished a tour with AmeriCorps before being drafted by OpenWorld Relief,” said Price. “He was helping in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, here after Irma. They call him Disaster Denny because he’s helped with so many of these natural disasters.”
Price said that his son is so valuable to the OpenWorld team because of his selflessness as well as his aptitude for all things mechanical.
“He’s a lot like MacGyver, he can fix just about anything,” said Price.
Price Jr. and another volunteer headed to the Bahamas on Sept. 8 in a small aircraft to execute the first part of the relief mission, which was clearing the runway at Marsh Island to allow for further cargo delivery.
OpenWorld Relief created a Facebook post on Sept. 2 laying out their relief plan. The post said that after clearing the runway, the next step was sending a search-and- rescue team to Marsh Island via ship and setting up point of distribution to the area to meet immediate needs, and then delivering an atmospheric water generator to provide clean water to volunteers and residents.
OpenWorld Relief relies heavily on donations and according to a Facebook post, funding for the Bahamas relief mission is urgent. To donate, visit openworldrelief.org and click the donate button on the right side of the website.