The country is still reeling from Hurricane Dorian’s destruction.

By Mia Splendore, Staff Writer/Artist

Many have heard about the horrible devastation that the Bahamas is feeling right now because of Hurricane Dorian, but few know the details about how bad it really is or what the relief efforts are accomplishing. 

The hurricane, which struck a few weeks ago on September 1, wreaked havoc on Abaco island and the eastern end of Grand Bahama leaving around 52 dead, 1,300 unaccounted for, and 70,000 homeless. The death toll is expected to rise dramatically as relief efforts search for missing people, finding mostly dead bodies. Entire neighborhoods were wiped out and much of the island’s infrastructure has been damaged beyond usage. 

The Grand Bahama Highway, one of many examples, was covered in rubble that made it impossible to pass through but has since been cleared due to relief efforts. Because of that, it has been made easier to reach parts of the island that were completely off-limits directly after the disaster. The islands also lost running water, power, and communications. 

Many people were able to leave the islands by boat after the disaster, but there are still a lot of residents trapped. Relief efforts have been coming from all over the world, with many nations sending money, people, and resources to help the crisis. There have also been many different organizations that have been collecting donations to help the situation in the Bahamas, including The Red Cross, UNICEF, and Project Hope, along with many others. All the listed organizations have websites you can donate to if you’re interested.