The Category 5 Hurricane Dorian that struck just a couple of weeks ago is on record as the most devastating storm to hit the Bahamas, leaving dozens dead, many more injured and missing, and waves of destruction behind it. It was initially predicted to sweep across the south coast of Florida, so when Tekara Carpon and her 3-year-old son Mikai boarded a plane to Tekara’s birthplace in the Bahamas over the Labor Day weekend, they thought they were dodging a bullet.
But by the time they landed, the storm’s track pointed towards the small island and had escalated to a Category 5. Getting off the island was almost entirely out of the question for Tekara and Mikai so they instead stayed with her grandparents and extended family who lived in Freeport, sticking together to make it through the storm.
As Hurricane Dorian arrived, it ripped through the country at incredible speeds of over 100mph, devastating people’s homes. At Tekara’s grandparents’ house, they experienced major flooding and lost many of their possessions, including toys and clothes. “I just had to lie down and hold Mikai in my arms,” said mom Tekara as the winds tore through the area, whipping open their front door.
Once the worst was over, brave 3-year-old Mikai picked out a Spider-Man costume that had survived the storm and headed out to do what he could to help: “Mommy, I’m going to go save the children in the water.”
After the storm had died down, Mikai and his mom waited in line for 13 hours and managed to board a cruise ship back to the US and upon arrival, received an outpouring of generosity and help. “The love we got when we got back to the US was unbelievable,” said Tekara. As they docked the cruise ship in Palm Beach, strangers were waiting there, welcoming them with food, water, and free rides.
But one of the best welcomes of all came the morning that Mikai returned to his school the Learning City Academy at Pembroke Pines. After learning that Mikai was on vacation in the Bahamas during Hurricane Dorian, all of his classmates became immediately worried. So when he walked into the classroom that morning, they all jumped up and gave him the warmest welcome. “We missed you!” some exclaim as they hug and kiss Mikai, who can be seen wiping away tears as he is overwhelmed with emotion at his classmates’ reception.
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Mom Tekara was touched by the overwhelming display of affection and posted the moment on Instagram. “My heart. Today was my son’s first day back to school in the USA after experiencing Hurricane Dorian in Freeport. The love he received from his friends as soon as he walked into class was so touching.”
The moment was one that both Tekara and Mikai needed after such a traumatic experience. The video has been viewed over 22,000 times on Instagram and when Tekara’s grandmother watched it, she called Tekara in tears over the simple beauty of children’s humanity and compassion.
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