“We were the only organization to reach out to Augusta city officials to offer help, and the first to deliver food and water.”
~Farah Quraishi, Director of the HF Duluth Food Pantry
In the middle of the night, Hurricane Helene hit Augusta, Georgia hard, leaving fallen trees, downed power lines, and damaged homes. No one had anticipated such destruction.
Augusta is a modest city largely centered around its college campuses. Helene’s destruction has made basic supplies like gas scarce, and power – including traffic lights – has been out across the city, making the streets dangerous. People have been waiting in long lines at restaurants because they cannot cook at home. By Monday power returned to hospitals, but most residents are still in the dark, likely for the entire week.
Pranav, a first-year medical student at the Medical College of Georgia, had finished a set of exams on Thursday and looked forward to a restful weekend. But instead he awoke on Friday to the damage. The roads to Atlanta, where his family lives, were damaged and clogged with debris and traffic, so he and several classmates spent the night in a school building, one of the few places with power. Pranav was finally able to reach Atlanta on Saturday.
One of these classmates, second year Muhsin Quraishi, was shaken awake early Friday morning by a tree landing in his living room. It missed the bedroom by mere feet but a gaping hole in the ceiling let rain and debris pour in.
He made it back to Atlanta on Saturday where his parents were fully immersed in leading an all-day fresh produce distribution to 300 families at the Humanity First Duluth Food Pantry.
“Saturday’s fresh produce event at the HF Duluth Food Pantry was luckily unaffected by the storm, as families here count on this food. About 500 pounds of extra fresh produce from this event was added to the cases of shelf-stable food that we delivered to Augusta by Sunday night.” ~Farah
Sunday morning the Quraishis called Ms. Shauntia Lewis, the Deputy Director of Housing and Community Development for the City of Augusta, to see how Humanity First could help. Muhsin rallied fellow MCG students who had evacuated to Atlanta and the family reached out to youth at their mosque for more hands.
Volunteers came out to organize and pack cases and cases of the pantry’s food and additional donated water into two 20-foot trucks.
“Humanity First’s delivery included 161 cases of water, which city officials identified as most critical. We also provided 50 cases of rice and flour, 75 cases of shelf-stable milk, 230 bags of pasta, hundreds of canned meats and vegetables, 8 cases of diapers, and large boxes of sanitary items. We essentially emptied the pantry for this emergency.” ~Farah
Both Pranav and Muhsin joined the smaller team in Augusta bound trucks around 5:30 pm. Along the way, they had to reroute due to a chemical plant explosion, but they made it to the city that night. With help from GEMA, local police, and fire departments, they unloaded the supplies and finally returned to Atlanta around 2:00 am.
“A storm causes immediate damage and shortage of supplies. Longer term, food and water-borne illnesses can spread, and people with chronic conditions can struggle without proper management. It’s critical to quickly provide supplies and aid.
Humanity First did just that, and I am so impressed by the dedication of the leaders and volunteers that I met.
I chose MCG for its community based approach to medicine. Volunteering for this community in its time of need was a must for me, and I’m staying connected to Humanity First to join them again.”
~Pranav Kandikuppa, Volunteer
