The Massive Scope of Hurricane Dorian’s Damage

Recovering from a Category 5 hurricane will take a lot more

Nearly 2 weeks after Hurricane Dorian devastated The Bahamas, over 2,500 people are listed missing and the death toll of 50 is rising as reported by the Bahamas’ NEMA. Nearly 70,000 people are now homeless on Grand Bahama and Abaco, the hardest hit islands according to the International Organization for Migration. Despite humanitarian missions carrying over 1,500 evacuees, UNICEF workers say the situation on the ground is not improving. The death toll was expected to go up as search-and-rescue crews continued to scour the ruins in Grand Bahama and Abaco islands. The list was preliminary, and all the names were not immediately confirmed against government records and evacuees, said Carl Smith of the Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency. He urged people to continue submitting missing persons through the hotline, or visiting the social services office handling the missing people register.

Hurricane Dorian tore through the islands as a Category 5 — the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the Bahamas. The first sweep of hard-hit northern islands — where some 70,000 people have lost almost everything — was completed, including at least a first check for anyone in need of rescue, food, or water and an assessment of damage and sanitation needs, said Daniel Gajewski of Fairfax County, Virginia’s Urban Search and Rescue team. Unicef estimates that today there are 18,000 children that have been affected by Hurricane Dorian. The U.S. and U.N. have collectively provided $3.8 million in aid, and celebrities like Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake have pledged a minimum of $12 million to provide short term food shelter clothing in line with USAID. But people say recovering from a Category 5 hurricane will take a lot more. Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said the government was working to set up temporary housing for those who lost their homes, adding that he visited shelters in New Providence that were providing temporary housing to evacuees from Abaco and Grand Bahama. He warned against re-circulating “false information” that was spreading discord in the community.

Brut.