Caribbean (MNN) — Initial search and rescue efforts are wrapping up two weeks after Hurricane Dorian left portions of the Bahamas in pieces. The death toll currently stands at 51 but experts warn it will rise as aid workers discover more bodies.
One initial estimate places Dorian damages at $7 billion in Abaco, Grand Bahama, and New Providence. Though Dorian’s path brought it past several Caribbean nations, the storm spent most of its time over Grand Bahama and Abaco, thereby inflicting the most damage on these islands.
USAID search and rescue workers assess damage in Abaco.
(Photo courtesy USAID via Twitter)
UN Secretary General António Guterres toured damaged areas in Abaco and Grand Bahama over the weekend. He described Dorian’s wrath as “Category Hell” instead of the Category 5 classification typically used by meteorologists.
Hurricane season can be a grim affair in the Caribbean. Steve Shantz says TransWorld Radio wants to highlight hope in the aftermath of storms like Dorian. “When a storm does hit an area and people’s lives are affected, we put special programming on the air,” he explains.
“These are usually programs that deal with how to cope with difficulty in life, how to cope with disaster, how to put your hope in Christ; also, how to deal with grief and how to deal with loss.”
Along with special programs, TWR broadcasts Christian programs like A Word With You, Family Life Today, and Pedrito El Pulpo from Bonaire to surrounding islands — including the Bahamas. Learn more about TWR’s work here.
Now what?
The Atlantic hurricane season is only about halfway done. Forecasters predict between two and nine more named storms before the end of the year, including a few more major hurricanes like Dorian.
Natural disasters leave believers powerless in every way but one – prayer.
“There’s a lot of open water out there in the Caribbean and in the Atlantic. Our prayers can be that storm tracks take [major] storms mainly through open water and away from places of heavy population,” Shantz suggests.
“We know that these storms can cause incredible damage and incredible misery.”
Team up with TWR on our Facebook Page to pray through the rest of hurricane season.
Ask the Lord to strengthen and comfort those who survived Hurricane Dorian. Pray listeners will find hope and encouragement through TWR’s broadcasts.
Header image depicts Hurricane Dorian as a Category 4 storm. Photo obtained via Wikimedia Commons.
