Bahamas (MNN) — All eyes remain on Hurricane Dorian as the storm threatens the U.S. coastline. Meanwhile, government and aid agencies begin to uncover a trail of destruction left behind in the Bahamas.
Dorian arrived Sunday as a Category Five hurricane, reportedly one of the strongest storms to ever hit the Bahamas. Initial reports indicate “catastrophic” damage on the island nation; the Red Cross estimates 45-percent of homes are severely damaged or destroyed.
Mariette Oosterhoff says TWR is surrounding the Caribbean in prayer. Will you join them?
Bahamas survive Dorian’s wrath
TWR broadcasts hope to the Bahamas through its station in Bonaire. Each evening, Christian programming and music hit Bahamian airwaves. See a program schedule here.
“We broadcast from Bonaire – that’s very close to Venezuela – and we reach Cuba… and, of course, we also reach the Bahamas,” Oosterhoff specifies, describing TWR’s Caribbean footprint.
Hurricane Dorian as a Category 4 storm.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
“We don’t have a partner in the Bahamas – we have one in Haiti and in Cuba – but, of course, we know we have listeners in this area.”
Oosterhoff is still waiting for an update with specific details from TWR’s partners. However, she knows the potential scope of Dorian’s devastation.
“Many everyday folk – everything they own [is] gone, it’s wiped out… it’s really a big crisis right now.”
According to UN officials, thousands will need essentials like food, clean water, and shelter in the days to come. Damages to the nation’s hotels and restaurants could prove even more problematic; tourism accounts for roughly 60 percent of the Bahamas’ national income. Recent hurricanes Joaquin, Matthew, and Irma reportedly cost the Bahamas approximately $820 million USD.
Pray for those in Dorian’s path
Now that you know, will you pray? “People are so isolated when they are in a crisis; they have no electricity, no radio, maybe no internet,” Oosterhoff says.
“Pray they feel that God is with them [and] that they’re not alone.”
Ask the Lord to steer Hurricane Dorian away from the U.S. mainland. “Our head office of TransWorld Radio is in North Carolina,” Oosterhoff says.
“We should pray that this storm moves off the Bahamas and Florida and out to the sea.”
Header image depicts Hurricane Dorian over the Bahamas on Sunday, September 1. Credit: NOAA via Wikimedia Commons.
