dorian

Seven years ago, Hurricane Dorian changed the Bahamas forever.

In a matter of hours, homes disappeared, businesses were destroyed, communities were torn apart and thousands of people were forced to begin again.

For the people who survived them, the aftermath can last for years.

On September 1, 2019, Dorian struck Abaco as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane before devastating Grand Bahama. Its winds reached 185 mph, while storm surge and flooding overwhelmed communities.

At least 77 people were confirmed dead, hundreds were initially reported missing and thousands were displaced.

The images of destruction became etched into the country’s memory.

How are the people who survived Dorian actually doing? Did they rebuild? Did they return home? Are they still living with the financial consequences? What happened to the families who had to relocate? And what happened to the communities that once felt like home?

For some survivors, recovery meant rebuilding a house brick by brick. For others, it meant rebuilding a business, finding a new job or starting over in another island, most likely New Providence.

And for some, “recovery” may still feel unfinished. Some wounds cannot be measured in dollars.

The fear that returns when a major hurricane approaches, the memories of that night, the people who never came home, the childhoods interrupted and communities that no longer looks the same.

Seven years later, Dorian is a story about resilience and loss, people who stayed, the people who left and the people still trying to put their lives back together.

What happened to the people after the cameras left?

Six years after Hurricane Dorian, one body still lies unclaimed in the Grand Bahama morgue.

The Ministry of Health confirmed the remains couldn’t be identified despite police forensic work.

Opposition Leader Michael Pintard called it hypocrisy, the same government that once accused the Hubert Minnis administration of negligence now faces the same problem.

But beyond politics lies a deeper question — how can a nation rebuild if its victims are still unburied?

The monster storm destroyed parts of Abaco and Grand Bahama, with hundreds of lives lost, and some remain missing. A mass burial was held for the victims, and all bodies found were thought to be buried.

Barri Bethel Thomas, who lost her husband and three children in the storm, questioned whether or not the body could be her relatives. She said she took a DNA test six years ago.

In a social media post in August, on the sixth anniversary, she recalled the fateful day, “The smell of Hurricane Dorian still lingers in my nose. I remember with unbearable clarity, watching as the 50 to 60-foot ocean swallowed my beloved family. The last words I heard from my husband were, “Lord help my family…I can still hear my babies screaming and crying out for their dad.”

Over these six years, I’ve fought some of the hardest battles of my life. I fought for the remains of my family, I never received them.”

The bottom line

Dorian’s wounds remain open, long after the storm passed. It now raises questions about accountability.

Featured images: The Atlantic and ABC News