Hurricane Dorian: we begin to see the magnitude of the devastation

The mighty storm sank on Sunday on the Abaco Islands as a Category 5 hurricane, the highest level ever recorded of this phenomenon when it touched land in the Atlantic.

He arrived in Grand Bahama on Monday as a Category 4 hurricane and parked there for almost two days. The island has also suffered serious damage and floods.

A satellite image of Iceye, a Finnish manufacturer of microsatellites, shows that 60% of Grand Bahama 's area was under water.

The hurricane degenerated into a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 km / h Tuesday, but its size has increased and the islands have continued to withstand heavy showers. Some areas of the Bahamas received up to 890 mm of rain.

On Wednesday, the hurricane was already far away from the Bahamas and had already touched the shores of Georgia.

Dead and gone

After the first reports of the tragedy brought five deaths, Bahamas Health Minister Duane Sands announced on Wednesday that there were 20 deaths in Abacus and Grand Bahama.

"This figure has already been increased to 20 people in Abacus and Grand Bahama, but keep in mind that the search and rescue exercises, the exploration of flooded homes, are just beginning," he said. he warned.

Sands acknowledged that this warning from the authorities does not hide that there will be many more.

Mark Lowbad, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, also expects a significant increase in the death toll.

On Tuesday, local media, the Bahamas News, posted a message on Facebook asking for the names of missing persons. Until Wednesday afternoon, the publication contained more than 2,400 comments, some of which included names of people already found.

Need water, food and medicine

The International Red Cross is concerned that 45% of the homes in Abaco and Grand Bahama, some 13,000 properties, have been severely damaged or destroyed.

About 70,000 people, almost all of the population on both islands, need "immediate help," Lowbad said.

The official explained that it was urgent to provide shelter, drinking water, food and medicine to some 50,000 people in Grand Bahama and between 15,000 and 20,000 in Abaco.

"It is very rare that 20% of the population of a country is seriously affected by a single event."

For its part, the United Nations World Food Program has provided similar calculations of food requirements. The agency said that Abacus could require food for 14,500 people and Grand Bahama for 45,700 people.

Rescue tasks

The locals do most of the rescue work, using boats and jet skis, but are hampered by flooded roads, fallen trees and submerged debris.

"Our priority right now is search, rescue and recovery, and we all commit ourselves as a community of solidarity (government, church, business and individuals) to help restore the lives of our people," said Prime Minister Minister of the Bahamas. Hubert Minnis.

US Coast Guard Personnel The Customs and Border Protection Directorate evacuated 61 people – including 19 wounded – from North Bahamas to the capital, Nbadau, for two days, the US Embbady announced.

Looting of abacus

Abaco's aerial images, including the port city of Marsh Harbor, show miles and miles of destruction, homeless buildings, scattered debris, overturned cars and boats, and water levels. high.

"There is nothing left in most of Marsh Harbor," Alicia Cook, a resident who evacuated, told BBC. "People start to panic: loot, plunder … there's just no way for everyone to get out [de aquí]".

A resident of Abacus, quoted by local newspaper The Nbadau Guardian, said "there is nothing left in Abacus." Abacus is very bad … ".

"I do not know what problem I pose to say that, but they are plundering terribly They have already occupied the house of a neighbor, these people have guns, they throw stones at you … We need to "It helps … it's horrible," added the woman.

Minnis said the Bahamas were facing "one of the biggest national crises" in its history.

Leader of the Opposition Philip Brave Davis flew over the islands and described the sight as "horrible".

Why hurricanes like Dorian move more slowly

On Wednesday, Dorian had moved north on the east coast of the United States.

Meteorologists have warned that he could land on Thursday on the shores of South Carolina or North Carolina.

BBC