Hurricane Dorian, now a Category 2 storm carrying winds down to 105 mph, continues to stick to the track that is keeping it 70 miles or more off the southeast coast of the U.S. However, though the storm has weakened, it has continued to expand. There remains a potential for significant surge and localized flooding. The latest track takes the storm closer to shore near Wilmington, South Carolina, and continues close to land up to and through the islands of the Outer Banks. These areas in particular remain threatened by both rain and surge driven by the storm. Flooding in the region may still be severe, and surge may overtop low-lying islands.
With the eye of the storm now over 150 miles north of Grand Bahama, and winds in the region below tropical storm strength, rescue crews and emergency teams are finally getting to the areas worst hit by the extraordinarily prolonged stay of the winds and surge. Unfortunately, the news is not good.
Flying over Abaco on Tuesday afternoon, the head of a local hurricane-relief organization reported, “Total devastation. It’s decimated. Apocalyptic,” and suggested that providing assistance to the island wouldn’t be making repairs, but starting from scratch.
There is currently no official count of those who lost their lives in the storm’s passage across Abaco and Grand Bahama. Seven are known dead on the Abaco islands, but the final number is expected to be considerably higher. Bodies are still being gathered, and many people are simply missing. The U.S. Coast Guard has airlifted out at least two dozen people who were injured on Abaco and Grand Bahama.
Rescuers on Grand Bahama began locating people trapped under the remains of shattered buildings and in the attics of flooded homes on Tuesday and helped bring them in to shelters that are being expanded in the storm’s wake. Teams from the U.S., the U.N., and the Red Cross are either on the ground or on their way. And yes, Chef José Andrés is there with food for those being brought in from across the Bahamas.
The prime minister of the Bahamas has called the situation “a horror.” Well over half of all homes have been destroyed on all the islands crossed by Dorian, and at least 60,000 people are in need of water, food, and shelter.