Bahamians look for loved ones as 1,300 missing after Dorian

MCLEAN’S TOWN, Bahamas — They scan social media, peer under rubble or try to follow the smell of death in an attempt to find family and friends.

They search amid alarming reports that 1,300 people remain listed as missing nearly two weeks after Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas.

The government, which has put the official death toll at 50, has cautioned that the list is preliminary and many could be staying in shelters and just haven’t been able to connect with loved ones.

But fears are growing that many more died when the Category 5 storm slammed into the archipelago’s northern region with winds in excess of 185 mph and severe flooding that toppled concrete walls and cracked trees in half as Dorian battered the area for a day and a half.

“If they were staying with me, they would’ve been safe,” Phil Thomas Sr. said as he leaned against the frame of his roofless home in fishing village McLean’s Town and looked into the distance.

The boat captain has not seen his 30-year-old son, his two grandsons or his granddaughter since the storm. They were all staying with his daughter-in-law, who was taken to a hospital in the capital, Nassau, after the U.S. Coast Guard found her — but only her.

The loss weighs on Mr. Thomas, who said he tries to stay busy cleaning up his home so he doesn’t think about them.

“It’s one of those things. I’m heartbroken, but life goes on,” he said. “You pick up the pieces bit by bit . ... I’ve got to rebuild a house. I’ve got three more kids. I’ve got to live for them until my time comes.”

Meanwhile, a cluster of heavy thunderstorms was heading toward the Bahamas and was expected to further drench the communities bashed by Dorian. The National Hurricane Center said the system became a tropical depression Friday; if it and when the depression reaches tropical storm level, it will be named Humberto. Forecasters say it could hit the central and northwestern Bahamas with winds and heavy rains before moving along the east coast of Florida on Saturday.

Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, warned the storm will affect the island and urged people to seek shelter.