The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

SEVEN years after Hurricane Dorian became the strongest hurricane in modern records to make landfall in The Bahamas, officials gathered yesterday to remember the people killed in the catastrophe and the families still living with its consequences.

A moment of silence was observed outside the Office of the Prime Minister on the anniversary of the Category Five storm, which devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama after making landfall on September 1, 2019.

Dorian struck Great Abaco with estimated winds of 185mph before crawling across the northwestern Bahamas. The National Hurricane Center later described it as the strongest hurricane in modern records to make landfall in the country, while warnings at the time forecast storm surge of 18 to 23 feet and wind gusts exceeding 200mph. Its slow movement compounded the destruction. NOAA said parts of the region were battered for more than 48 hours by extreme winds and a storm surge exceeding 20 feet, causing widespread flooding and devastation. Against that history, yesterday’s ceremony focused on both the dead and the unfinished burden carried by survivors.

Rain fell lightly as those gathered reflected on residents who lost relatives, homes and livelihoods and, in many cases, were forced to rebuild their lives from the ground up.

Senator Clint Watson, who moderated the ceremony, spoke about those who died and the resilience of people who survived the storm.

He said the memories of victims and survivors remain especially present at this time of year.

Bahamas Christian Council vice-president Bishop Dr Woodley C Thompson led a prayer acknowledging families displaced by Dorian and those who lost loved ones.

He also recognised first responders, volunteers, churches and countries that assisted The Bahamas through one of the most devastating disasters in its history.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the anniversary should also force the country to examine what it had done with the lessons Dorian left behind.

“That preparation is not a choice,” Mr Davis said. “That resilience is a responsibility. That no island and no settlement can be left behind.”

“We rebuild and we regrow in their honour,” he said, “guided by what we learned, and strengthened by the resilience of our people.”

Addressing bereaved families, Mr Davis said: “To the families who still mourn: you are not alone. This nation stands with you, today and every day.”

A moment of silence followed, with Mr Davis urging Bahamians to remain committed to supporting one another during difficult times.

Hurricane Dorian killed at least 70 people in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

The official toll, however, has never captured the full uncertainty left behind by the storm.

According to the Coroner’s Court, 35 people were reported missing after Dorian. During inquests in 2021, relatives described their attempts to locate loved ones who disappeared during the hurricane.

At the conclusion of those proceedings, then-coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez declared 22 missing people dead. Four victims were positively identified through DNA analysis.

Some families still have not received death certificates for relatives whose bodies were never recovered.

Mr Davis previously said investigations into Dorian-related deaths were continuing “administratively” to guide future action, although his administration did not proceed with the more formal inquiry he had earlier promised.

Dorian remains exceptional even among the major hurricanes that have struck The Bahamas.

The World Meteorological Organisation described it as the strongest hurricane on record to hit the country, reaching Category Five strength with sustained winds of 185mph before becoming nearly stationary over the northwestern Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center’s final report said Great Abaco endured at least tropical-storm-force winds for about three days as Dorian slowed dramatically, while Grand Bahama was subjected to prolonged destructive winds and catastrophic surge.