Hurricane Dorian: The destruction of the Abaco Islands

From BBC

Hurricane Dorian has brought devastation to the northern Bahamas. The first aerial pictures have now emerged of the destruction on the Abaco Islands.

Most of the other badly hit island – Grand Bahama, home to about 50,000 people – has still to be reached.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said this was “one of the greatest national crises in our country’s history”.

He also said he expected the death toll to rise.

The image below is of the airport at Marsh Harbour on the Abacos. The airport on Grand Bahama was on Tuesday said to be under 6ft (1.8m) of water.

The Abaco Islands are home to about 17,000 people. The UN says almost all will need food aid and clean water.

The International Red Cross fears 45% of homes on Grand Bahama and the Abacos – some 13,000 properties – have been severely damaged or destroyed.

When the Abaco Islands were hit over the weekend, the wind speeds of 185mph (298km/h) equalled the fastest ever inflicted by the landfall of a hurricane, matched only by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935.

PM Minnis said the priority now was for search and rescue, but added: “We can expect more deaths to be recorded.”

Photos are copyright.

For more on this story go to: https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-49576850