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St. Augustine man starts fundraiser for Bahamas hurricane relief

Mike Alyea said Hurricane Dorian spared his home and boat. Now, he wants to help those in the Bahamas who weren't as lucky.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — One man in St. Augustine said he is counting his blessings after he said Hurricane Dorian spared the First Coast.

Mike Alyea said since his home and boat weren’t damaged, he wants to help those who weren’t spared by Hurricane Dorian’s wrath in the Bahamas. Alyea started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help those affected on the islands.

He said his goal is $500,000, and they’ve already raised more than $2,000 in the past 24 hours. Alyea plans to vet local and national groups, like the Red Cross, to donate the money to.

“They’re just 70 miles off our shore," he said. "They’re basically our neighbors. We love visiting there and vacationing there. The first time I dove there was in 1972 and we visited there and vacationed there, and now it’s time to help our neighbors and give back.” 

Alyea said he hopes to possibly take his boat at some point to help in the relief efforts in the next few months. He is also a newly retired pilot and volunteered to fly any planes that need to get down to the Bahamas.

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