With Hurricane Dorian churning up the U.S. East Coast, the Bahamas is reeling from the storms devastating blow.
The hurricane was a Category 5 storm when it took a direct hit on Great Abaco and Grand Bahama islands earlier this week. The death toll has reached 30 dead and hundreds are still missing. The officials warned that the number of deaths is sure to rise dramatically as search and rescue teams frantically search for survivors.
Dorian struck the island of Great Abaco in the northern Bahamas the hardest, demolishing homes, infrastructures, airport landing strips and a hospital. The hurricane was the most damaging storm to ever hit the Bahamas. The following are photos of the devastation as people try to cope with rebuilding their lives.
Catherine Russel is greeted by loved ones after arriving with other survivors of Hurricane Dorian from Abaco issland at Odyssey Aviation at Lynden Pindling International Airport September 4, 2019, in Nassau, New Providence.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Recovering items
People recover items from a beached boat after Hurricane Dorian September 5, 2019, in Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Before and after view of Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco, Bahamas
Royal Navy helicopter medical evacuations
A Royal Navy helicopter takes off outside Marsh Harbour Healthcare Center after Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, September 5, 2019.
Marco Bello | AP
Aerial view of Great Abaco Island
Aerial view of Marsh Harbor after Hurricane Dorian passed through on September 5, 2019 in Great Abaco Island, Bahamas. Hurricane Dorian hit the island chain as a category 5 storm battering them for two days before moving north.
Jose Jimenez | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Seeking shelter
People shelter inside a church after surviving Hurricane Dorian on September 5, 2019, in Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco, Bahamas.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Walking amid the debris
Women walk through the rubble in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian on the Great Abaco island town of Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, September 3, 2019.
Dante Carrer | Reuters
Volunteers to the rescue
Volunteers walk under the wind and rain from Hurricane Dorian through a flooded road as they work to rescue families near the Causarina bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.
Ramon Espinosa | AP
Riding through the debris
Residents pass damage caused by Hurricane Dorian on September 5, 2019, in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
Brendan Smailowski | AFP | Getty Images
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis boards flight to survey damage
Prime Minister Hubert MInnis boards a U.S. Coast Guard plane, en route to Abaco for a reconnaissance flight to survey damage caused by Hurricane Dorian, in Nassau, Bahamas, September 3, 2019.
John Marc Nutt | Reuters
Before and after view of Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco in the Bahamas
Boats and homes destroyed
A view of damages left by Hurricane Dorian September 5, 2019, in Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Among the ruins
A man walks past damages caused by Hurricane Dorian on September 5, 2019, in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Line for aid
People line up for water at the government complex after Hurricane Dorian on September 5, 2019, in Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco, Bahamas.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Food relief
Chef Jose Andres carries food relief while working with his charity group World Central Kitchen to help survivors of Hurricane Dorian September 5, 2019, in Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco, Bahamas.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI | AFP | Getty Images
Before and after view of Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco in the Bahamas
Extensive damage
Extensive damage and destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian is seen in Abaco, Bahamas, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019.
Gonzalo Gaudenzi | AP
Waterfront in ruins
An aerial view of damage caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen on Great Abaco Island on September 4, 2019 in Great Abaco, Bahamas.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
Devastated
Women cover their heads with palmetto leaves as they rest on the road, after the passage of Hurricane Dorian, near High Rock in Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019.
Ramon Espinosa | AP
