Local Pilot Helping In Puerto Rico Relief Efforts

<p>Waves of help are landing in Puerto Rico nearly two weeks after Hurricane Marie pummeled the island.</p>

Tuesday, October 3rd 2017, 6:43 pm

By: Karl Torp


Waves of help are landing in Puerto Rico nearly two weeks after Hurricane Marie pummeled the island. That includes help from Oklahoma.

“It looks like a giant forest fire. It’s really just trees that lost their leaves,” said Oklahoma City based Corporate jet pilot Blue Meyers.

On Friday and again on Monday, Meyers landed in Puerto Rico with a plane packed with supplies including generators, medicine and ready to eat meals.

He left with a full aircraft of people that were desperately trying to get off the island.

“We had a lot of elderly who were reliant on medication,” said Meyers who took the passengers to the Miami area.

To prevent too much airport traffic, the Oklahoma City pilot had only two hours to unload the plane and pick up passengers.

A Red Cross triage unit decided which patients got to board the aircraft.

“There is an enormous amount a help coming in,” said Meyers.

The initial challenge was getting supplies from the airport to those who needed them because roads and other infrastructure had been destroyed.

Meyers said U.S. Blackhawk helicopters and news helicopters have been successful in making deliveries.

“In the two of three days that passed between our two trips, they were really up and running on Monday,” added the pilot.

“They were very thankful, there was a little bit a language barrier, but that sentiment got across for sure,” said Meyers who arrives back home in OKC Wednesday.

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