Dorian's devastation in Bahamas: What you need to know
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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
Go deeper:
- Post-tropical cyclone Dorian weakens in North Atlantic after lashing Canada
- U.S. won't grant temporary protected status to Dorian victims from Bahamas
- CBP processes over Dorian evacuees in Florida from Bahamas
Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details throughout.
