Disaster in the Bahamas

By: AJ Sanchez (Staff Reporter)

On September 1st 2019 at 10:44 pm Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas and impacted thousands of residents in the area. Many houses were destroyed and several people were seriously injured.  The Bahamas were so heavily impacted because Hurricane Dorian hit them hard as a category 5 hurricane. Winds were blasting at 157 mph and faster over the weekend. That wasn’t even the worst part of the hurricane, as it was barely moving, going at sluggish pace of 1 mph and sometimes not even moving at all. The prime minister, Hubert Minnis, said “So many families have been deeply impacted [by Dorian, which] has left generational devastation across Abaco and Grand Bahama. We ask you to pray for the families and loved ones of the deceased.” Many houses were destroyed and all of their precious items were either out in the street or destroyed and left inside the wreckage of their homes. Since many of these people’s goods and precious items were all scattered over the street, many residents reported looting. 

Just two days after the hurricane still about 70,000 people in the Bahamas needed relief assistance. The United States has been trying to help by sending the U.S. Coast Guard and the Marines with helicopters to help save whoever they could throughout the day. They saved dozens of people, especially in the Abaco islands. The Coast Guard has rescued 114 people in two days after the hurricane and 6 helicopters had rescued 60 critically injured people after one day of the hurricane. Many children and adults were suffering from hypothermia caused by the rough weather conditions of the area. At least 50 people were killed so far and the toll could be rising. Many people are still missing and volunteers are looking for and rescuing people from jet skis as they search across the island. Now thousands of people are in shelters and being helped by the United States Army, volunteers, and the U.S. Coast Guard. 

The United States has already committed an initial 2 million dollars to help the relief efforts. Christian Smith stated, “That allows them to start purchasing locally. Really important to stimulate that economy. It’s really important that the individuals get some kind of dollars that they can start purchasing things again.” Luckily there was no real damage to anybody of the Florida area. We were preparing to get hit hard by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday but it barely even touched us on Wednesday. Many counties such as St. Johns and Duval county missed 4 days of school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. People have been asked how they felt about what happened at the Bahamas and many people have said that they feel terrible. A year ago, the same thing happened to Puerto Rico and they lost all their running water and electricity for about 2 to 3 months. Many Bahama residents have come to the United States to take shelter from the chaos over at the Bahamas. Thousands of residents have fled so that they don’t have to live without many everyday necessities, such as electricity, running water, and a home that is still standing and still has a roof.

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Caption: Hurricane Dorian was an immensely destructive hurricane. The cost from the damage was through the roof for the Bahamas.

Photo courtesy of The Atlantic.