On September 1, category 5 Hur¬ricane Dorian hit the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas, leaving in its wake a scene of near total destruc¬tion. Months after the storm, island res-idents are still trying to rebuild homes and a normal life.

Norwich alum Brian Simmons ’95, a Melbourne, Fla., fire marshal and pilot, has been among the volunteers helping island residents.

Over the winter holidays, Simmons worked to purchase and collect need¬ed supplies and fly relief missions to the islands, partnering with a trio of American business owners concerned about islanders’ plight.

In a December press release, Sim¬mons and his colleagues said despite the great need in the Bahamas, hurri¬cane victims were garnering very little attention. “I have never seen some¬thing so devastating in all my life,” said Simmons’ island relief partner, Jack Dwyer, owner of Baltimore-based Capital Funding Group and CFG Bank. “It’s truly hard to describe. Homes are still in need of major repairs and there are piles of debris and garbage lining the streets.”

In a trip late last year, the team flew in generators, air-conditioning units, medical supplies, and items for mold remediation. But need remains great, Simmons and his colleagues stated in a press release. “If everyone just gave a little, it would add up to a world of change for those in the Bahamas.”

Brian Simmons ’95 (third from left) helps deliver relief supplies to victims of Hurricane Dorian on the Abacos Islands, Bahamas.