Associated Press

KEY WEST, Fla.- Nine Royal Bahamas Defence Force vessels are departing Key West and returning to the Bahamas with relief supplies donated by Florida Keys residents and businesses for victims of Hurricane Matthew.

Pallets stacked high with supplies collected from around the Keys were loaded Friday at the U.S. Navy’s Truman Harbor pier in Key West, where the vessels took refuge from Matthew earlier this week.

The supplies included 25,000 bottles of water, thousands of diapers, food and tools, all gathered within 24 hours and dropped off at local government centers in Islamorada, Marathon and Key West.

Key West was the only Atlantic Ocean-front city in Florida not under a tropical cyclone watch or warning due to Hurricane Matthew.