MACON, Ga. — Now that Hurricane Dorian has moved past Georgia, many people from the coast are back home, and focus is shifting towards recovery efforts and cleanup in the United States and Bahamas.
One of the Central Georgians stepping up to help is Malik Lyder, a student at Kennesaw State University and former 13WMAZ Junior Journalist.
“I was raised in Central Georgia, but we always spent every summer, holiday and Christmas in the Bahamas. That’s how we were raised,” he said.
Lyder says he looks forward to spending time in the Caribbean every year.
“I always made a joke to my parents. We might have gone to school in Macon, but our home is in the Bahamas,” he said. “I went to Bimini every summer, it is a really small island. It’s only seven miles long and half a mile wide, so everybody knows everybody. Most everybody is family as well.”
After Hurricane Dorian tore through islands like Grand Bahama and Abaco as a strong Category 5 storm, Lyder is hoping to help all Bahamians piece everything back together.
“I have cousins that have lost their entire houses. We have some that depending on location, they managed to save their house and stuff like that,” he said.
Lyder, his mom, and the owners of Tropical Flava in Ingleside Village are holding a disaster relief drive.
"Some people lost everything besides the clothes on their backs, just the simple stuff like medications, some people still need that," he said.
You can drop off things like water, non-perishable food, portable gas stoves, or diabetic supplies.
"I think it is important to donate. You just have to donate to a bigger cause, we are grateful to have a lot more than the norm," Lyder said.
He says even though Dorian caused a lot of damage, people there remain resilient.
"People should just know Bahamians are strong people. We are going to overcome this, just like our motto -- forward, upward, onward together. We are going to move forward, grow upward, onward, and then we are going to do it together.”
If you want to help, you can drop your donations off at Tropical Flava Caribbean Restaurant. The drive runs until September 15. You can also donate cash or gift cards.
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