Pain, Hope, and the Recovery in the Bahamas after Dorian
Photograph by Marco Bello / Reuters
It’s been more than ten months since catastrophic Hurricane Dorian roared through the northern Bahamas and it’s safe to say that life there, especially in Great Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, will never be the same. Dorian is the storm that will be written about and talked about for generations to come.
Part of the Bahamas were reminiscent of what looked like the aftermath of violent tornadoes in the US. Grand Bahama Island was pounded by major hurricane winds and storm surge for over a day as Dorian stalled over the island before moving north.
It will take many painful years to fully recover from Dorian. Where does the Bahamas stand today with its recovery efforts, and what has been the human impact of the devastation left behind by Dorian?
In the days and weeks after the Dorian struck the Bahamas, there were reports that the death toll could reach into the thousands. The first report of such a death toll was reported by the BBC on September 6, 2019. At that time, the official death toll stood at 30. Today, the official death toll stands at 74 according to the Bahamas’ former health minister, Dr. Duane Sands. In a recent article published by the Miami Herald, Sands revealed that “the country so badly botched its record-keeping on Hurricane Dorian’s missing victims that today it cannot say with certainty how many people actually died in the horrific storm.”
The Bahamian government was not equipped to deal with a natural disaster of the scope of Dorian without outside help and this was apparent in the hours and days after the storm hit when food, supplies, shelter, and medical resources were slow to get to the survivors of the storm. But we can’t expect a government of a small country with limited resources to suddenly be able to fully manage the crisis on its own. Continued attention and resources must be provided. Coordination with larger countries like the neighboring United States is required in order to get people the resources that they need. Proper oversight and accountability are also needed.
This isn’t to say that nothing is being done. A CNN article on Feb 10, 2020, notes that the Bahamian government was shipping in domes for dwellings of those who lost their homes and launching a “Small Home Repair Program” aimed at getting homeless residents shelter and better prepared for the 2020 hurricane season. The Bahamian government has also created “Special Economic Recovery Zones” for the purpose of financial support to individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Dorian.
It’s common for everyone to be transfixed by the images and footage of Category 5 winds and the resulting damage. We hear about the stories of tragedy, survival, heartbreak, and triumph. The coverage lasts for about a week in our ever-shorter news cycle. The news crews slowly leave. However, this is when the real work of recovery and rebuilding begins — or is supposed to. In the case of the Bahamas, the recovery has been extremely painful, slow, even nonexistent in some instances.
At one point in Shepherd’s article, he quotes a classmate from Florida State University, noting that “she told me via message that her family was in Marsh Harbour and Freeport. They have lost everything. I can almost hear the anguish in her voice as she told me:”
The reality is that The Abacos and Grand Bahama sat under a Category 5 hurricane for 30 hours nothing can withstand that. My aunt and uncle arrived at my house sunburned and exhausted I washed the 7 pieces of clothing between them made sure they got a shower and fed them – all I could think about is how do you lose everything at age 70. When I was at the airport there were two things that broke me down. I saw a young man maybe 35 at least 6’ 4” about 225 lbs break down when he arrived in Nassau and I’m thinking this is strongest of my country and he is broken. How are we to survive this? – I saw a 15 year old boy clinging to his dog shaking and holding this animal for dear life.
Shepherd goes on to quote another classmate
The emotional state of the families affected by the magnitude of Hurricane Dorian, cannot be explained in words but they are in desperate need of help. This is a worldwide humanitarian need! The people of the Bahamas are resilient but they have lost loved ones, infrastructure and are hurting! They need our help!
The above quotes were from September of last year, days after Dorian pulled away from the Bahamas. Where do things stand with the recovery now, more than 10 months later?
It’s not easy to find stories and articles on the current recovery efforts in the Bahamas. The most recent article found was the Miami Herald article quoted above, entitled “Bahamas has no idea of Dorian death toll after names of the missing were removed from list.” There were a few reports of the recovery’s progress during the 6-month remembrance of the storm in March. One article published by CNN on Feb 10, 2020, described parts of Great Abaco as deserted and uninhabitable with “some of the areas devastated by the storm appear untouched since the hurricane made landfall, without a person in sight.” The article goes on to quote David Eisenbaum, with the charity All Hands And Hearts who explains:
Much of the population in Abaco evacuated or were displaced. And now they are largely unable to return because there is no housing
On Grand Bahama Island, the situation was only slightly better in relative terms, but still, there were significant problems. Mainly with the extent of damaged housing and buildings and high salinity of the water, the result of damage because of the storm surge after the island was battered for a day and a half by Dorian.
Besides an article by the Orlando Sentinel on March 2, 2020, (Six months since Hurricane Dorian, Bahamas still in state of recovery), an article published by the Miami Herald on March 6, 2020, (Recovery from Dorian continues in Bahamas as leaders prepare for 2020 hurricane season), and a flurry of others around the 6-month remembrance, we haven’t gotten much news about the continued recovery efforts.
2020 has been an enormously challenging year for all of us. The US is facing some of the most pressing challenges and crises in generations. It’s important that we focus on addressing these issues. This doesn’t negate the need to remember our neighbors off the coast of Florida who were so badly affected by Dorian and who are still displaced and waiting for resources.
The best place to go for information on how you can help those affected by Hurricane Dorian is https://www.bahamas.com/relief