After seeing the path of destruction Hurricane Joaquin carved across the Bahamas, a Florida billionaire jumped into his helicopter.
Miguel “Mike” Fernandez flew into action, heading 150 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to airlift people to safety. Shortly after arriving, he found a group of tourists missing since the storm hit and he and his crew carried them off a flooded island.
He used his chopper, similar to the one pictured above, to help officials scout storm damage, look for survivors, deliver supplies, and rescue anyone who needed help.
Fernandez, who came to the America when he was 12 as a Cuban refugee, spent three years in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper before building a fortune in the health care industry.
RELATED: Wealthy Couple Buys Search-and-Rescue Ship to Save Migrants at Sea
“I heard that nothing was happening down south, where all the damage was done,” Fernandez told the Miami Herald by phone while refueling his vehicle in Georgetown. “All we can do is provide help ourselves and do what we can.”
He’s one of several wealthy people who’ve brought in personal aircraft to help deliver storm relief to Bahamians. They’re coordinating their efforts in Nassau, roughly in the center of the Bahama island chain.
Photo: Dolphins, CC; Neruru, CC
Spread the Wealthy Good News… (Click to Share)