Great Abaco's recovery from the destruction of Hurricane Dorian has been slow, and while streets have been cleared of debris, badly damaged buildings and piles of rubble can still be seen six months after the storm. (David Common/CBC)
Ten minutes away from the restored and gleaming cruise ship terminals on Grand Bahama island, just beyond the multi-millionaires' beach compounds, is the real Bahamas — and it lies in ruins.
It's six months since Hurricane Dorian made landfall on the island nation, snapping trees, gutting homes, shearing exterior walls and roofs clean off. Along with the catastrophic winds, surging waves hammered cars through buildings, and emptied schools of desks and chairs and pretty much everything else.
Bahamian authorities officially reported 76 dead as a result of Dorian's wrath. But nearly that many have been missed from some individual communities, with the belief by many aid and other organizations that the true death toll is more likely counted in four figures. Hundreds of Haitian migrants lived next to the sea when the hurricane hit, for instance, and many are unaccounted for but, without status in the country, their deaths have not been included in the official national tally.
While the streets have been cleared of debris, thousands of homes remain uninhabitable. Power crews continue to restore electrical service, and roofers have years of work ahead of them. Read more >>