GREEN COVE SPRINGS – It was so foggy Monday morning, Dustin Merry drove his thundering 18-wheel tractor-trailer past the Clay County Fairgrounds. Minutes later, his black and silver rig punched a hole in the thick moisture and appeared near the dropoff area used to collect supplies for Hurricane Ian victims in Southwest Florida.

His horn blasted a deafening roar as he got closer. Rarely has a truck driver been so happy to find his destination. Rarely have there been so many people so happy to hear air brakes belch and the motor go from a rumble to silence.

The Mercer County (Ohio) Fair decided to join the Clay County Fair with its Supply Drive Southwest Florida operation. Fair executive director Tasha Hyder and Sheriff Michelle Cook organized the relief effort with hopes of sending two semis to the Fort Myers area with essentials.

The load from Ohio was the third. And at least two more are scheduled to leave any day.

“My boss is on the (Mercer) fair board,” Merry said. “When he asked if I wanted to take a load down, I said, ‘When do I leave?’ I like being part of something like this.”

Volunteers unloaded water, blankets, generators, pet food and other emergency supplies from the truck. Items were placed on pallets, wrapped and loaded into another truck. Each trip to the hurricane-ravaged area included a police escort from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

“We use the word overwhelming. And heartwarming,” Hyder said. “We knew our community and our fair board were awesome, but they went above and beyond for us. They really knocked it out. They understood the assignment and they got an A-plus-plus.”

The original plan was to collect donations from residents until Friday, Oct. 4. The response was so incredible, Hyder and volunteers worked Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Hyder said her group had to cut off donations at the close of the business day on Monday.

“But we know we’re still going to get stuff from Amazon after that,” she said.

Clay County residents, fair and the sheriff’s office played a small part in the massive relief effort. Clay County Fire Rescue and the county’s emergency management office also sent help. There were photos posted to social media outlets of Clay deputies and firefighters helping people get through the rubble. One photo depicted a fire rescue technician pushing an elderly person in a wheelchair through the damage. Another showed two emergency medical technicians answering a call in 10-inch-deep water.