Jason Forbes says he has a lot on his mind this weekend.
That’s because some of his extended family in the Bahamas are in desperate need, left homeless by hurricane Dorian which struck the northern part of the archipelago.
On Saturday morning, he managed to speak to his cousin, a nurse in Freeport on Grand Bahama, one of the two islands devastated by the hurricane.
“She’s telling me it’s just absolutely crazy there right now,” said Forbes.
“She’s on the verge of breaking down because it’s just so much.”
It could have been worse for his family.
Only a day ago — nearly a week after the storm hit — he received word that relatives who were missing are now safe and sound, staying with friends.
Now his attention is focused on helping them and other victims.
“My family is safe but a lot of families are not,” he told Global News.
Along with friends, Forbes is collecting supplies in Montreal to send to Grand Bahama and Abaco, the two affected islands.
“We’re basically putting boxes all over the city where people are going to donate non-perishable items,” he explained.
WATCH: Coverage of Hurricane Dorian on Global News
The death toll on those two islands is now over 40, with hundreds missing and thousands homeless, and he said the situation is grim.
“It’s not like here where there’s insurance, where you just make a phone call and they come and take care of everything,” Forbes said. “Some people don’t have insurance — hurricane insurance.”
Jennifer Padmore, who runs Biscuits and Confetti in NDG, one of the places Forbes had boxes, agrees that without the help, recovery will be that much harder.
“It’s humanity,” she said. “It’s humans helping humans any way we can.”
Fabiola Mizero has no connection to the Bahamas except for friends, but she is also collecting supplies.
“Because, yes, the hurricane passing is one thing, but the aftermath is what’s the most challenging,” she pointed out, “because people don’t have access to their home yet — they’re mostly living in shelters.”
For her, it’s important to help and to bring attention to a place that, according to her, is often seen only as a place for recreation.
“Yeah, like humanize like those very exotic vacation places,” she said.
Bahamian authorities say items like nails, lumber, plastic sheeting, water and water containers, first aid kits and canned foods are needed.
But both Forbes and Mizero are limiting the items they collect to the smaller, non-perishable items that are easy to transport. Mizero plans to bring the items she collects to one of the Bahamian High Commission pick-up locations in Ottawa by Monday.
Forbes, meanwhile, plans to send his boxes to a Bahamian relief organization in Florida by the end of the month. He has several collection points in Montreal, including Casse-croûte Chez Milie, Biscuits and Confetti, Caribbean Curry House, Caribbean Paradise and Seasoned Dreams.