50,000 people call Grand Bahama island home. As you’re reading this, Grand Bahama is seventy percent underwater.
This news comes following the devastating force of Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall over the Bahamas as a historic Category 5 hurricane. Intense wind, rain and storm surge is to blame for the flooding in Grand Bahama.
Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Kevin Peter Turnquest stated that “There are still many outstanding rescue missions. It’s not looking good as we expect catastrophic damage.”
The reports from the island have been troubling at best and downright horrific at worst, as the damage from the storm is still being surveyed. Early reports show that the islands have been absolutely ravaged by the storm.
Beyond simply causing damage to buildings and roads, hurricanes can wipe entire houses off of their foundations. People might be looking for loved ones, hoping they’ve returned home, only to find that their home isn’t there and their loved one is still missing. In addition, power outages and the destruction of cell phone towers can make it much harder to contact people you know, leading to a further sense of panic and dread.
Humanitarian groups are estimating that at least 13,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the Bahamas as a result of the storm. Some experts are estimating that Dorian’s stint in the Bahamas may represent the most devastating hurricane damage in a populated area in the Atlantic Basin in history. This is due, in no small part, to the storm’s unprecedented wind speeds and intensity.
After leaving the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian has been slowly rumbling across the Atlantic, on course towards the Florida coast. Predictions hold that the storm will make landfall with Florida before curling up the coast and impacting Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
While it’s unlikely to impact the US at Category 5 strength, experts are still warning of the dangers of the storm for coastal communities. Even Category 3 storms can bring catastrophic storm surges and flooding along with them, making any hurricane a weather pattern you need to respect.
