Search And Rescue Teams On Abaco Combing Through Debris, Recovering Bodies
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - As President Trump warns that the US should be "very careful" about who it lets in after Hurricane Dorian, the Bahamian government continues to struggle to house thousands of displaced people who are arriving in the capital city of Nassau from some of the hardest-hit islands.
On Tuesday, US urban search and rescue teams combed through enormous piles of debris in some of the worst-hit areas of the Bahamas. Joined by Bahamian government workers, they continued the grim task of recovering victims' bodies.
It's not clear exactly how long many of them intend to stay.
"We're here until, till the end, till as long as our departments feel the need for us to go back," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Alexander Rivas.
The work is slow and tedious.
"We've probably hit at most one-tenth of this area, and so far, we have found five human remains. I would say based off our sample size we're going to see more," said Gainesville Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Joseph Hillhouse.
The majority of the deceased have been recovered from hard-hit Abaco island. Survivors are being evacuated by plane, and on ferries, most with no more than a suitcase of the little they have left.
"Everything here is gone. I don't have nothing else," said Andreuse George Louis.
Some left without knowing if their loved ones are alive.
For so many like Carleen Smith where life goes from here is unclear but she doesn't think she'll return to Abaco.
"I don't think there's gonna be another Abaco because the hurricane destroyed the place so bad," she said.
The Department of Homeland Security said the US embassy in Nassau is open for emergency visa appointments. Every Bahamian citizen must have a valid passport and a travel visa if they're traveling to the US. by plane or boat.
Officials say the death toll in the Bahamas is at least 50.
