Five days after Hurricane Dorian pounded the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, relief efforts continue with volunteers searching for survivors among the hundreds of missing people on the island.
Over 70,000 people were left homeless when the hurricane struck five days ago and at least 43 have died so far, with the number expected to increase drastically in the coming days.
“Forty-three is the official count, many missing and this number is expected to grow significantly,” said Erica Wells Cox, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Hubert Minnis.
CNBC reports that Dorian stayed on the Bahamas for almost two days, doing more than $7 billion in damage and raising questions about how climate change affects the intensity of hurricanes. Hundreds of people are missing on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, 290 of which had been rescued as of Saturday morning.
The Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line said it’s providing food, water and medical supplies to victims. It also said that it transported more than 1,550 hurricane evacuees. Customs and Border Protection has said that all the evacuees who arrived in West Palm Beach are properly documented to enter the U.S.
The International Organization for Migration said that damaged roofs will be replaced with pieces of waterproof plastic to be sent to the Bahamas, along with 15,000 meals sent by the World Food Programme to help with the “humanitarian crisis.”
Airlift and logistical support from the Department of Defense were ordered by the Trump administration Friday to help with relief efforts. President Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that Prime Minister Minnis said that aid from the U.S. will help mitigate casualties.
“Thank you to Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis for your very gracious and kind words in saying that without the help of the United States and me, their would have been many more casualties,” Trump said. “Give all credit to FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, & the brave people of the Bahamas.”
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