On Sept. 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall on Abaco, an island in the Bahamas. With maximum wind speeds of 185 miles per hour, the island was completely devastated. Not long after, the Grand Bahama island was hit as well. The two northern islands both sustained catastrophic amounts of damage. As Hurricane Dorian is the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Bahamas, their road to recovery is bound to be a long one.

Hurricane Dorian was the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the Bahamas. So far, 51 people have been confirmed dead. Emergency agencies have estimated that the death toll will be around 300 after the debris is cleared. On top of that, there are also over 1,200 people still missing. Volunteer firefighters and police officers are still, two weeks later, using dogs to search the debris for people. With another storm coming, there is a chance that not all of the lost will be found for a while.

On average, the tourism industry in the Bahamas makes around $3 billion. The two islands that were hit were two of the most visited in the island chain. While most of the islands and ports are undamaged, the news just says the Bahamas are devastated, failing to mention that most areas are still open for business. Due to this, the average tourism profit is estimated to drop by half. The 698 less affected islands are also being swarmed with thousands of refugees from the devastated islands. These islands, which are going through financial strains themselves, are having to help the survivors. The government, which recently spent $4 million on hurricane relief, is trying to help the victims.

Since the hurricane, people have donated so much to the people. The Red Cross has been volunteering and donating supplies to the people on both of the islands. Over 70 GoFundMe pages have been created to support the islanders. On top of that, many professional basketball players, such as Michael Jordan, Buddy Hield, and Jonquel Jones have pledged to donate food and money to the citizens. There are also many businesses, including Disney, who are donating clothes, food, and money. However, according to the Prime Minister, money is not the most important thing. “It’s rebuilding something that was there; we have to start again.”