Disaster Profile

On September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall as a category 5 hurricane in The Bahamas with wind speeds in excess of 185mph, lashing the Bahamian islands of Great Abaco (population 17,200) and Grand Bahama (population 51,000). After making landfall in The Bahamas, Dorian’s travelling speed slowed to 1 mph, prolonging the islands’ exposure to life-threatening storm surges, which reached 18-23 feet above normal tide levels. Dorian is the strongest hurricane on record for The Bahamas and has tied a record for the strongest Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall.

'While the Bahamas has over 700 islands, the hurricane significantly impacted the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama and the surrounding Cays. (...) Assessments of Abaco found widespread destruction, with thousands of houses levelled, telecommunications towers down, and water wells and roads damaged. Data from the Ministry of Public Works and actors engaged with the shelter cluster has confirmed that destroyed buildings are concentrated in the area surrounding Marsh Harbour. In this area, the most ravaged are The Pea and The Mudd, which are mainly inhabited by groups in situations of vulnerability, as well as the area of Scotland Cay. Varying degrees of damage were also registered in critical infrastructure in Abaco such as health centres, Marsh Harbour port, airport and schools.' (ReliefWeb). Here you can read an extensive report about how Hurricane Dorian affected the Bahamas.

Over 76,000 people were affected, and nearly 3 years later, there are still people in need of humanitarian aid. Response efforts were initially severely complicated by damage to essential infrastructures, such as roads, ports, airports, healthcare facilities, government facilities, bridges and telecommunications. Nearly all supply chains for the islands were severely affected. A large portion of Great Abaco remained without power over a year after Hurricane Dorian made landfall. The effects of Hurricane Dorian still remain prevalent and visible today.