Currents News Staff
The Bahamas is back on alert on September 13 as a potential tropical storm threatens to strike the very same areas already devastated by Dorian.
The death toll on the island stands at 50, and 1,300 people still remain missing.
Nearly two weeks now since the category 5 storm landed, and efforts on the island are largely turned to recovery.
Survivors describe a storm that seemed to want to wipe them out with vicious ferocity.
“Words can’t describe it, I don’t wish it on nobody,” said Sherrie Roberts, a survivor of Hurricane Dorian.
Still stunned at their own survival, the aftermath for residents has been crippling. Nearly one in five Bahamians are now homeless, and more than 2,100 are in shelters. Hundreds more have been taken in by family, friends and even strangers.
The storm left behind $8 billion worth of damage, with the number continuing to climb. While the winds have calmed, the sense of emergency hasn’t: the need to feed, shelter and clothe will continue many for months, if not years more.
While trying to cope with finding and identifying the hundreds still missing, many of those who survived are struggling with traumatic experiences.
During the storm, thousands scrambled from room to room, house to house, as buildings crumbled and flooding moved around them with alarming speed.
“This boat here was just as high as the roof, it started to come onto the roof with me as I was holding on for dear life,” explained storm survivor William Davis.
Hurricane Dorian was stronger than predicted and it lasted longer than predicted. It lingered and lashed out with gusts that resembled thousands of terrifying tornadoes, grinding across the islands as it ground to a halt.
“I was sitting in the living room, and all of a sudden the roof just came off,” said Nancy
Hundreds lost track of not just belongings, but each other. Some across the island are experiencing the overwhelmed reunions.
Still, days after the storm were desperate for proof of life. One woman is frantic to find her cousin.
“I hope they find him, I hope so. He just had a son, he doesn’t even know the baby’s face yet. I hope they find him, I hope so,” said Winis Louisdor, who still on the lookout. k
Others know exactly what happened to loved ones. Now they must wait through the grim search for bodies, knowing some victims were swept out to sea.
With evacuations near completion, rebuilding is on the minds of most people .
“We can’t do it alone, we need help, lots of help, monetary help, I mean, you don’t even know where to start,” said Tory Albury, Fire Chief of Great Guana Cay.
Dorian shattered lives in the Bahamas, but also expectations of how hurricanes behave and what survival looks like after the storms have passed.