The smell of death hangs over parts of Great Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas, where relief workers on Friday sifted through the debris of shattered homes and buildings in a search expected to dramatically drive up the death toll from
Hurricane Dorian. Dorian, the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the Bahamas, swept through the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island earlier this week, flattening entire neighbourhoods and knocking out key infrastructure, including airport landing strips and a hospital. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are still missing, and officials say the death toll, which currently stands at 30, is likely to rise significantly as more bodies are discovered in the ruins and floodwaters left behind by the storm. "You smell the decomposing bodies as you walk through Marsh Harbour," said Sandra Sweeting, 37, in an interview amid the wreckage on Great Abaco. "It's everywhere. There are a lot of people who aren't going to make it off this island." Some locals called the government's initial official death toll a tragic underestimate. Hurricane Dorian barrels towards US after battering Bahamas, in pictures "I work part-time in a funeral home, I know what death smells like," said Anthony Thompson, 27. "There must be hundreds. Hundreds." Asked if any of his friends or family had perished, Mr Thompson looked at the ground. "I don't want to ask, because there are people I still haven't heard from," he said. Chaotic conditions around the islands were interfering with flights and boats, hampering relief efforts. Aliana Alexis, of Haiti, stands on the concrete slab of what is left of her home after destruction from Hurricane Dorian in an area called "The Mud" at Marsh Harbour in Great Abaco Island Credit: Al Diaz/Miami Herald / AP "Obviously, we have to take care of the sick and the injured first, but we're also making preparations for the dead," Dr. Caroline Burnett-Garraway, medical chief of staff at Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, told
CNN by phone. Many of those injured by the storm were being airlifted to the hospital with fractures and head injuries and suffering from trauma and dehydration, said Dr Burnett-Garraway, who expects a "second wave" of patients in the coming days. There are fears contaminated drink water will lead to outbreaks of diarrhoea and waterborne diseases, with aid organisations describing the situation for some people on Abaco as "desperate." The
United Nations estimated 70,000 people were in immediate need of food, water and shelter on the islands, where looting of shops and supermarkets has been reported. Humanitarian and Disaster Relief teams, from RFA Mounts Bay, delivering aid to the Island of Great Abaco Credit: Paul Halliwell / Royal Navy The
British government has allocated £1.5 million for an immediate response in the Bahamas, which includes the delivery of critical aid supplies such as water and shelter kits through a Royal Navy ship in the area. The Department for International Development has also deployed humanitarian staff and Foreign Office staff to the islands. It is estimated that several hundred British nationals live in the worst affected areas of the Bahamas. The Government said it is opening a reception centre in Nassau, the capital of the island nation, for British people who are facing difficulties in the wake of the hurricane. Alok Sharma, the International Development Secretary, said: "My heart goes out to all of those who have been affected by this tragedy and lost their loved ones. Anyone worried about a loved one in the Bahamas who may need
UK consular help should call 0207 008 1500." A man carries bags with his clothes at his home after hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in Marsh Harbour Credit: Reuters The relief effort faces formidable logistical challenges because of the widespread destruction of Dorian, which hovered over the Bahamas for nearly two days with torrential rains and fierce winds that whipped up 12- to 18-foot storm surges. The storm made landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Friday with winds of 90 miles per hour. Roy Cooper, the state's governor, said hundreds of people are stranded following a storm surge on the Outer Banks' Ocracoke Island. Mr Cooper said some 800 people had chosen to stay behind, and urged them to get to high ground. "There is significant concern about hundreds of people trapped on Ocrocoke Island," he told reporters at a news conference on Friday morning. "There are rescue teams ready as soon as they can get in." A weakened Hurricane Dorian flooded homes on the Outer Banks with a ferocity that seemed to take storm-hardened residents by surprise Credit: Steve Earley/The Virginian-Pilot via AP At least four deaths in the US southeast have so far been blamed on the storm, which has caused substantial damage in the states of North and South Carolina. Twisters spun off by Dorian peeled away roofs and flipped trailers, and more than 250,000 homes and businesses were left without power. On Friday morning, residents and crews fanned out around downtown Charleston, scooping up the branches and leaves that littered the centuries-old streets.