2,500 people registered as missing in Bahamas, officials say
NASSAU, Bahamas. - The death toll in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian stands at 50, but a spokesman with the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed 2,500 people are now registered as missing.
Throughout the week, Local 10 News has heard from multiple families who said their loved ones are among those unaccounted for.
Nquander Jennings told Local 10 News she didn't hear from her mother, who rode out the storm in Treasure Key, for more than a week.
"What was running through your mind as far as your mom's safety?" Local 10 News reporter Roy Ramos asked.
"Is she alive? That was the only concern I had -- was my family alive?" Jennings said.
Jennings reunited with her mother Wednesday at Nassau International Airport.
But while this family was fortunate to reunite, they know there are thousands of people who may never see their loved ones again.
"A lot of people lost their children, their mothers and their fathers, their families, but ... thank God I have mine," Brenda Russell said.
Russell said she rode out the storm with some family members and her next door neighbor. She credits her survival to prayer.
Video taken on Treasure Cay shows the destruction of the high winds, rain and storm surge that Dorian brought to the islands.
While many people were able to make it out of their homes alive, the hope for the 2,500 people still missing is quickly diminishing.
During Ramos' visit to Marsh Harbour, he saw search and recovery teams sifting through the debris and rubble of hard-hit areas.
The worry of crews has been with the storm surge, which has been reported as high as 25 feet. Crews said people may have been pulled out to sea and may never be found again.
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