15,000 people in the Bahamas are without food or shelter after Hurricane Dorian
More than a week after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, thousands of people are without shelter and food, 1,300 are missing, and the prime minister said he expects the death toll of 50 to "significantly increase."
About 15,000 people are in need of shelter or food, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
Bahamas' National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Carl Smith said Thursday that 1,300 people are still listed as missing. Earlier, officials said the number of missing hadn't been checked against records of evacuees or the thousands of people staying in shelters, making it difficult to draw up fatality lists.
“The number of deaths is expected to significantly increase,” Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Wednesday night in a nationwide address, promising “timely information on the loss of life as it is available.”
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Thousands are scattered across the islands. More than 5,000 people ended up on New Providence, the island where Nassau, the capital, is located. Authorities plan to put up tent cities in Nassau and on Abaco, one of the hardest hit islands, where shelters for about 4,000 are planned.
Hurricane Dorian struck parts of the archipelago with 185 mph winds Sept. 1, then settled in for almost two days of death and destruction before moving back into the Atlantic.
As the country tries to emerge from the devastating storm, limited commercial flights resumed on Abaco, but the electrical infrastructure around Marsh Harbour, the island's largest city, was destroyed.
Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake establish One Bahamas Fund
In an effort to address immediate and long-term needs, golfer Tiger Woods and singer and actor Justin Timberlake helped establish the One Bahamas Fund. They teamed up with Nexus Luxury Collection, Royal Bank of Canada and members of the Bahamas resort community of Albany to set up the fund.
Woods, Timberlake and South African golfer Ernie Els are co-owners of Albany, a luxury, 600-acre resort founded on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas in 2010.
Woods and Timberlake pledged $6 million to match outside donations in an effort to raise a minimum of $12 million.
The fund is aimed at providing shelter, food and clothing in the short term, and help with design and development of infrastructure needs to communities and small businesses.
"It's horrifying to see the videos and hear the stories about the effects of Hurricane Dorian," said Woods, who called the need in the Bahamas "very real."
Contributing: The Associated Press
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bahamas missing persons list: 1,300 missing, 15,000 without shelter
