Skip to main content
Updated Sep 15, 2019 - Science

Dorian's devastation in Bahamas: What you need to know

Rebecca Falconer
A resident of Marsh Harbour receive donations, on September 11

A Marsh Harbour resident with donations. Photo: Alejandro Granadillo/NurPhoto via Getty Images

More than 2 weeks since Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas, the death toll remains at 50, but government data shows 1,300 people are still listed as missing, while much of the archipelago faced another tropical storm this weekend.

The latest: Bahamians escaped the bulk of storm Humberto, now a hurricane, as it passed offshore, but it still lashed the islands with sustained winds of 70 mph. The National Hurricane Center said. And Humberto's outer rain bands are forecast to dump 1–2 inches of additional rain with isolated storm total amounts of 6 inches.

Swells generated by Humberto will affect the northwestern Bahamas. ... These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."
— National Hurricane Center Sunday night advisory
  • UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited the Bahamas this weekend to check on the latest humanitarian efforts.

The big picture: Dorian first made landfall in the Bahamas on Sept 1. It stalled for about a day just north of Grand Bahama before being downgraded to a Category 2 as it moved away last Tuesday, leaving the islands "decimated."

  • About 5,000 people have been evacuated from the 2 hardest hit islands, Abacos and Grand Bahama, officials said, but tens of thousands remain in need of aid, the BBC reports.

How the U.S. is helping: The United States Coast Guard has been assisting with recovery operations and conducting medical evacuations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has processed evacuees in Florida.

  • A White House official said Wednesday that the U.S. would continue to support the Bahamas but "at this time, we do not plan to invoke Temporary Protected Status for those currently in the United States," Reuters reports.
  • More than 47 metric tons of USAID supplies were sent to the Bahamas to help an estimated 44,000 people, USAID director Mark Green tweeted.
"What I was struck by was the focused nature of the devastation. There are parts of Abaco and the Bahamas that don't show a great deal of damage, and then there are clusters and communities that were devastated, almost as though nuclear bombs were dropped on them."
— USAID director Mark Green

In photos: Dorian's devastating impact on the Bahamas

Margie Gerthadauphin (bottom) and her daughter Kimberly try to salavage belongings from what remains of their home in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.
Margie Gerthadauphin and her daughter Kimberly salvage belongings from what remains of their home in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
A Canadian search and rescue team search the debris in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on September 10
A Canadian search and rescue team search the debris in Marsh Harbour. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
People await evacuation by boat at Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco.
People await evacuation by boat at Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Dejani Louistan, who was displaced by Hurricane Dorian, stands with the only belongings she managed to salvage
Dejani Louistan with the only belongings she managed to salvage in the Mudd neighborhood of Marsh Harbour. Photo: Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Residents work on a roof in the "Mudd" neighborhood of Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco.
Residents work on a roof in the Mudd neighborhood of Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
A home damaged after hurricane Dorian devastated Elbow Key Island on September 8
The remains of a home on Elbow Key Island. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Eludieu Jnnoel collects rubble and debris from damaged homes after hurricane Dorian devastated Elbow Key Island on September 8, 2019 in Hope Town, Bahamas.
Eludieu Jnnoel collects rubble and debris from damaged homes in Hope Town, Bahamas. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Christine Joseph and others await evacuation at a dock in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on September 7
Residents await evacuation at a dock in Marsh Harbour on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting medical evacuations. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Residents of an area destroyed by Hurricane Dorian ask for food and water from rescue volunteers in Bahamas.
Residents of an area destroyed by Hurricane Dorian ask for food and water from rescue volunteers in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island. Photo: Fernando Llano/AP
Debris left by Hurricane Dorian litters Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport
The remains of Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport. CNN reports the walls have gone and "the ceiling has come crashing." Photo: Yasmin Rigby/AFP/Getty Images
An aerial view of damage caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen on Great Abaco Island on September 4
Damage on Great Abaco Island. Officials say 17 of those confirmed dead were from the Abaco islands and 3 from Grand Bahama, The Nassau Guardian reports. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
An aerial view of damage caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen on Great Abaco Island
Abaco properties preliminary reports show some 76,000 Bahamians have been impacted and more than 13,000 houses damaged or destroyed, per the American Red Cross. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews, forward deployed to Andros Island, conduct medical evacuations in support of search and rescue and humanitarian aid in the Bahamas
U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews deployed to Andros Island to help with medical evacuations capture Dorian's devastation on Monday. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard/Twitter
An aerial view of damage caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen in Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island
Marsh Harbour was hit hard. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
An aerial view of the Bahamas from a Coast Guard Elizabeth City C-130 aircraft
The U.S. Coast Guard has been capturing the devastation on the Bahamas while helping with recovery efforts. Photo: Adam Stanton/US Coast Guard via Getty Images
View of a flooded street in downtown Nassau on September 3
A flooded downtown street in the Bahamas capital, Nassau. Photo: Lucy Worboys/AFP/Getty Images
First responders escort an injured person from Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco Island at the Odyssey Avaiation after US CoastGuard evacuated people from Island
First responders escort an injured person from Abaco Island after the U.S. Coast Guard evacuated people from the island on Tuesday. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Damage is seen from Hurricane Dorian on Abaco Island on September 3, 2019 in the Bahamas.
The damage on Abaco Island. Photo: HeadKnowles Foundation via Getty Images
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubbert Minnis (C) and US Coast Guard Admiral Scott A. Buschman (L) prepare to board a US Coast Guard plane for a reconnaissance flight to Abaco Island
U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Scott Buschman (L) and Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis (C) prepare to go on a reconnaissance flight to Abaco Island. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

Go deeper:

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details throughout.

Go deeper