USA TODAY International Edition
No food, shelter for nearly 15K Bahamians
PM expects death toll to ‘ significantly increase’
More than a week after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, thousands of people are without shelter and food, 1,300 are missing, and the prime minister said he expects the death toll of 50 to “significantly increase.”
About 15,000 people are in need of shelter or food, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Carl Smith said Thursday that an estimated 1,300 people are still listed as missing.
“The number of deaths is expected to significantly increase,” Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Wednesday night in a nationwide address, promising “timely information on the loss of life as it is available.”
Thousands are scattered across the islands. More than 5,000 people ended up on New Providence, the island where Nassau, the capital, is located. Authorities plan to put up tent cities in Nassau and on Abaco, one of the hardest hit islands, where shelters for about 4,000 are planned.
Hurricane Dorian struck parts of the archipelago with 185 mph winds Sept. 1, then settled in for almost two days of death and destruction before moving back into the Atlantic.
As the country tries to emerge from the devastating storm, limited commercial flights resumed on Abaco, but the electrical infrastructure around Marsh Harbour, the island’s largest city, was destroyed.
Woods, Timberlake start fund
In an effort to address immediate and long- term needs, golfer Tiger Woods and singer/ actor Justin Timberlake
pledged $ 6 million to match outside donations in an effort to raise a minimum of $ 12 million.
The fund is aimed at providing shelter, food and clothing in the short term, and help with design and development of infrastructure needs to communities and small businesses.