
Destruction from Hurricane Dorian in an area called “The Mud” at Marsh Harbour in Great Abaco Island, Bahamas on Thursday, September 5, 2019 (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Source: Time
Bahamians are scrambling to respond to a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane that the nation’s Prime Minister has described as a “historic tragedy” since the slow-moving storm made landfall Sunday. Hurricane Dorian has claimed at least 43 lives and destroyed many buildings, especially on the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco.
Governments and nonprofits are offering money, workers and other aid to help with the rescue and recovery effort. According to the Red Cross, about 45% of the homes on Grand Bahama and Abaco — about 13,000 houses — are believed to be severely damaged or destroyed as a result of the storm, and some 62,000 people will need clean drinking water, the Associated Press reports. U.N. officials said that more than 60,000 people will need food assistance.
At the same time, Bahamians have carried out their own efforts to account for loved ones, posting frantic photos and notes on Facebook and WhatsApp begging for word about missing friends and family members.
Here’s what to know about the devastation the Bahamas is facing now that Dorian has roared through.
Categories: Natural Disaster, North America