This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
Bahamas Stunned as Water Recedes: 'It's Like a Bomb Went Off' ¶
Published on September 5, 2019
As floodwaters receded in the Bahamas, the trail of devastation from Hurricane Dorian became increasingly clear. The Category 5 storm, which made landfall on Sunday, left a path of destruction in its wake, with homes turned to matchsticks and boats piled in heaps.
Residents of the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama were left without jobs, a place to live, or access to basic services like fresh water, food, and medical care. The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm could bring life-threatening inundation to the Eastern Seaboard, with communities as far north as Virginia facing a danger of rising water.
Dr. Duane Sands, the minister of health, confirmed at least 20 deaths, with the toll expected to rise. Mark Lowcock, the top relief official for the United Nations, estimated that around 70,000 people were in need of lifesaving aid on the affected islands.
As families picked through the ruins of their homes, many were too overwhelmed to fathom next steps. Some aid groups estimated that nearly half of the homes on the two islands were either destroyed or severely damaged.
Antonia Nixon, 19, stood at a private terminal in Nassau, hoping that relatives would be among the passengers brought in on helicopter evacuation flights. 'My house is gone, and I'm in Nassau and I have no clue what my family is doing,' she said, breaking into sobs. 'I just want help.'
Long lists of the missing circulated on social media groups, where families logged updates in real time. 'Mr. Atkinson contacted his son to let them know they are all alive,' read one entry for a family on Grand Bahama. Others were more worrying: 'Have you seen or heard from my son Raynor,' wrote his mother, Sheron Johnson.
The wreckage left behind was a grim study in contrasts. In Marsh Harbour, the largest city on Abaco Island, residences lay in ruins, while the estates at Baker's Bay appeared unscathed. Only a handful of people could be seen walking around, and the single road leading in and out of Marsh Harbour was still flooded in places.
Dr. Sands warned of an impending health crisis, with the risk of contaminated water supplies looming large. 'We have to assume that all of the ground water, all of the community water, is contaminated,' he said.
On Grand Bahama, the water had receded, revealing widespread decimation. Parts of Freetown were in shambles, and communications were spotty, leaving many to wonder about the fate of relatives and loved ones.
Rashema Ingraham, a resident of Freeport and the executive director of Save the Bays, a Bahamian environmental organization, struggled to grasp the extent of the damage. 'We're just trying to wrap our minds around the recovery efforts,' she said. 'Everybody is pretty much shellshocked.'
