This archive report was first published on 24 September 2019.
September 24, 2019, marks two weeks since Hurricane Dorian ravaged the East Grand Bahama, leaving a trail of destruction and death in its wake.
The island, once home to 51,000 residents, now resembles a war zone, with widespread carnage and an overwhelming stench of death.
Police officers, even those from the area, are reportedly hesitant to visit the affected areas due to the trauma they may experience.
Patricia Freling, a Florida nurse volunteering in East Grand Bahama, shared that police officers fear encountering a large number of bodies, making it difficult for them to cope.
"They think there will be a lot of bodies. So we are preparing for everything," Patricia said.
A team of paramedics, nurses, a counselor, and a retired US Marine are working together to address the crisis.
Brittany Reidy, a 29-year-old nurse, described the smell of death as unmistakable, even before seeing the bodies.
"That is the smell of dead bodies," Reidy said from the back of a pickup truck.
The official death toll stands at 52, but the number is expected to rise significantly, with 1,300 people still missing two weeks after the hurricane.
Some individuals may be trapped under rubble, while others may have been washed away in the storm surge, with their bodies surfacing on land only recently.
Tanya Steinlage, an emergency pediatric nurse practitioner, expressed concern that if the bodies are not properly handled, they may still be present in the area.
Steinlage noted that the bodies she encountered had likely washed up during the storm surges, given the lack of standing structures in the area.
She urged the authorities to bring in cadaver dogs to locate the missing individuals, as they are currently considered missing rather than deceased.
Resident Patrice Higgs, 49, survived the storm in Mcleans' Town Cay but sustained injuries while sifting through the rubble.
Sean Russell, a resident of East Grand Bahama, lost his home and belongings but expressed gratitude for being alive.
"I'm alive, and that's all that matters," Russell said. "Not everyone can say that."
