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Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line ship housing, feeding hurricane victims & first responders

Posted at 8:37 PM, Sep 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-15 11:34:46-04

People continue to anxiously await the moment their power turns back on, but some are choosing to wait it out on a cruise ship in the Port of Palm Beach.

RELATED: GALLERY - Irma strikes FloridaLatest Power Outage Numbers | Power Lines Still Down In West Palm | Crews across U.S. helping FPL |  Prevent Fire Once Power Restored

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is offering hurricane victims a place to stay and meals to eat through Saturday morning, when cruise departs.

Shawn and Valerie McMahon have been without power at their house in Lake Worth since Hurricane Irma blew through Sunday, so they decided to take Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line up on the offer. 

“Trying to sleep and trying to deal with the heat was just overwhelming," said Valerie.

“A couple days you could tolerate that, but after two or three days, it just got to be too much for us," Shawn McMahon said.

The McMahons along with other people in need of power and shelter after Irma have everything on the Grand Celebration they’ve recently gone without for $39 per person per night.

“Amazing. One night of sleep," Valerie said. "I still need a nap though.”

Hot meals on the ship are available for free to first responders and others struggling from the storm in Palm Beach County.

“It’s been very tough just getting the basic essentials," said Anthony Spampanato. "This is a four-course meal, and it’s the first after a lot of days.”