Hurricane Dorian: 70,000 in need of 'immediate' aid
September 5, 2019
The UN has said that tens of thousands of people are in need of food, water and medicine after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Bahamas. The storm has claimed 20 lives so far as it continues to creep towards the US.
Image: Reuters/D. Carrer
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The death toll from Hurricane Dorian rose to 20 on Wednesday, as rescuers began searching through the wreckage on the Bahamas in the wake of the devastating storm.
"At this point, we are starting to get a more vivid picture of the loss of life, at least in Abaco, and the loss of life in Grand Bahama," Bahamian Minister of Health Duane Sands told local radio.
"But bear in mind that search and rescue exercises, exploration of homes that were flooded, is just now starting," he added.
The United Nations said that some 70,000 people were "in immediate need of life-saving assistance" in the archipelago. The most urgent needs are currently food, water, shelter and medicine.
The UN also released $1 million (€906,000) from its emergency fund to provide aid to the victims.
Hurricane Dorian churns through Caribbean
Hurricane Dorian has gathered force and hit the Bahamas on its slow path toward the southeastern US. Experts warned of the life-threatening "fury" of one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/NASA
Heading up the US coast
Dorian has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm, after exiting the Bahamas. It has continued on a north and northeast path, brushing past Florida and on its way to Georgia and South and North Carolina. Dorian had exploded from a Category 3 to Category 5 hurricane within just two days, with maximal sustained winds reaching up to 295 kilometers (185 miles) per hour, as it hit the Bahamas.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/Zuma Wire/NOAA
Abaco Islands 'decimated'
Aerial footage of the Abaco Islands, Dorian's worst-hit area, showed vast devastation following the storm. Hundreds of homes were missing their roofs, cars were overturned, and widespread flooding and debris was strewn all over. Bahamas' Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said sections of the island had been "decimated."
Image: Reuters/Trans Island Airways/M. Cove
Death toll expected to rise
As of Wednesday evening, 20 people were confirmed dead in the Bahamas due to the storm. Storm surges of 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 meters) left wide areas in the archipelago under water. The international airport and hospital in the main city of Freeport were under water, complicating rescue operations.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. Espinosa
Bahamas hit hardest
The eye of the storm moved very slowly, and residents were forced to cope with more than 30 hours of hurricane winds, torrential rain and flooding.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP/R. Espinosa
Bad time for golf
US President Donald Trump has described the storm as "monstrous" and urged everyone to heed any evacuation orders given by the authorities. Previously, Florida officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for Palm Beach County, home of Trump's Mar-a-Lago golf resort. The governors of Georgia and South Carolina also ordered mandatory evacuations of their states' coastal areas.
Image: Getty Images/T. Brenner
Better safe than sorry
The hurricane's path and very slow progress have continued to cause confusion. Even if the storm only grazes the US east coast, local authorities have already set up shelters and urged those in vulnerable areas to relocate.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/G. Herbert
Waiting for water
The slow movement of the storm left many in Florida holding their breaths and rushing to stock up on food, water and medicine to last them at least seven days. This Costco store in central Florida only allowed two cases of bottled water per person.
NASA scientists developed this mobile launch pad to help them send more humans to the moon. As the storm threatened to come close to Cape Canaveral, they decided to move it into the massive Vehicle Assembly Building to keep it safe. But NASA was spared the worst, as the storm inched just off the coast of Florida.
Image: Reuters/S. Sesius
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Rescue efforts have been ramping up, with US Coast Guard and Royal Navy helicopters carrying out medical evacuations and assessing the damage.
Some people on Grand Bahama island used jet skis and boats to try and pull people trapped in homes hit by flooding or wind damage. The international airport in the city of Freeport was severely damaged in the storm, making its runways unusable and complicating relief efforts.
Dorian hovered over the Bahamas for a full day, bringing devastating wind and rain that ripped apart buildings and led to massive flooding.
The storm weakened to a Category 2, but still has high winds and could bring a dangerous storm surge and was later upgraded again to a Category 3 storm.
Dorian is currently inching along the southeastern coast of the United States, with the states of Georgia and South and North Carolina on alert.
Around 830,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders along the South Carolina coast.
According to the National Weather Service, the storm is expected to come dangerously close to the city of Charleston, bringing a high tide and storm surge of up to 10.3 feet (3.1 meters).
