Hurricane Dorian survivors' fears grow for 1,300 people still listed missing in Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas with winds of almost 300 kilometres per hour.

As many as 1,300 people remain missing nearly two weeks after Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas.

Key points:

  • About 13,000 people remain missing, but the Government says many could have found shelter
  • The category 5 storm slammed into the Bahamas with winds of almost 300kph
  • A cluster of heavy thunderstorms is heading toward the Bahamas in the next 36 hours

The Bahamian Government has cautioned the list is preliminary and many of those not yet found could be staying in shelters and unable to connect with loved ones.

But there are growing fears those missing will join the list of 50 killed when the category 5 storm slammed into the archipelago's northern region with winds at almost 300 kilometres per hour and severe flooding that toppled concrete walls, cracked trees in half and ripped swings off playgrounds as Dorian battered the area for a day-and-a-half.

Phil Thomas (left) lost three members of his family in the hurricane and his Mclean's Town home was badly damaged.

Boat captain Phil Thomas has not seen his 30-year-old son, his two grandsons or his granddaughter since the hurricane.

They were all staying with his daughter-in-law, who was injured and taken to a hospital in the capital, Nassau, after the US Coast Guard found her — but only her.

"If they were staying with me, they would've been safe," he said.

He especially misses his eight-year-old grandson — his fishing partner.

"I'm heartbroken, but life goes on," he said.

"You pick up the pieces bit by bit … I've got to rebuild a house. I've got three more kids. I've got to live for them until my time comes."

'The roof just blew off'

The aftermath of Hurricane Dorian is seen on the island of Abaco in the Bahamas.

Reunions, although few, are still happening nearly two weeks after the storm.

But in the Abaco islands, which Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said were mostly decimated, the search for loved ones remains tense.

Diego Carey, a 25-year-old from the hard-hit community of Marsh Harbor, left Abaco for Nassau after Dorian hit but returned on Thursday after a 12-hour boat ride to search for two friends who remain missing.

"We were together during the storm. It happened so fast. The roof just blew off," he said.

"It's so traumatising."

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Video: Hurricane Dorian grinds through Grand Bahamas

Mr Minnis assured Bahamians in a recent televised address that the Government was working hard to recover bodies and notify families, adding officials were providing counselling amid reports of nightmares and psychological trauma.

"The grief is unbearable," the Prime Minister said.

"Many are in despair, wondering if their loved ones are still alive."

Meanwhile, a cluster of heavy thunderstorms is heading toward the Bahamas and is expected to further drench Bahamians who are still reeling from the hurricane.

The US National Hurricane Centre said on Thursday (local time) the system was expected to become a tropical storm within 36 hours and hit parts of the northwestern Bahamas with tropical storm-force winds and heavy rains.

AP

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(Source: abc.net.au; September 13, 2019; https://tinyurl.com/yyqsqpn4)
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