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INSIGHTi
Bahamas: Response to Hurricane Dorian
September 25, 2019
On September 1-2, 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm with winds of 180 miles per hour and
storm surges of up to 23 feet, caused widespread damage to the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco in
the northwestern Bahamas, a country of some 700 islands off the southeast coast of the United States (see
Figure 1). The official death toll is 53 as of September 23 (with over 80% on Abaco) but is expected to
rise, according to the Bahamian government’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
NEMA also estimated the number of missing at around 1,300 (down from 2,500). With an estimated
population of 51,000 on Grand Bahama and 17,200 on Abaco, the two islands account for about 18% of
the Bahamas’ population of almost 390,000. According to the U.S Agency for International Development
(USAID), 60% of the structures on Grand Bahama and Abaco were completely or severely damaged and
27% were moderately damaged. Among the areas suffering the most severe damage was Abaco’s town of
Marsh Harbour. Thousands of people from the two islands have relocated to other parts of the Bahamas,
especially New Providence Island, where Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas is located; about 1,600 were
residing in shelters as of September 23. According to press reports, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
maintained that about 3,900 Bahamian evacuees had arrived in Florida as of September 13.
U.S. and International Humanitarian Response
Through its Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), USAID coordinates the U.S. government
emergency response to international humanitarian crises and disasters. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Stephanie
Bowers at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau declared a disaster on September 2. OFDA then deployed a
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the Bahamas and activated a Response Management Team
based in Washington, DC. DARTs are activated in the wake of a disaster to coordinate and manage the
U.S. government response, and they work closely with local government officials, the international
community, and relief agencies.
In the Bahamas, the DART has worked closely with NEMA, which is coordinating the emergency
response activities of more than 50 organizations. Immediately after the storm, the DART deployed 37
disaster experts and 64 search and rescue professionals; on September 14, the DART’s search and rescue
professionals left the Bahamas after a 10-day deployment in which they searched and assessed more than
1,000 structures. According to USAID, as of September 15, the response had shifted from immediate
relief (first aid, search and recovery, and rapid damage and needs assessments) to focus on shelter for
displaced populations, debris removal operations, and the restoration of communications, electricity, and
water systems.
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Figure 1. Hurricane Dorian’s Path and Damage Across the Bahamas
Source: CRS, based on USAID map from 09/16/19.
As of September 24, the United States had provided almost $25.8 million in humanitarian funding for the
Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the Bahamas, of which almost $16.3 million is being administered
through USAID/OFDA (International Disaster Assistance account), $1 million through the USAID/Office
of Food for Peace (emergency food assistance/Title II account), and almost $8.5 million through the
Department of Defense (Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Action account).
Beyond the United States, governments and regional and international organizations have contributed to
the humanitarian response. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) are supporting the work
of NEMA and other Bahamian government agencies. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited the
Bahamas on September 13, expressing international solidarity with Bahamas and concern about the plight
of undocumented Haitians living there and affected by the storm. He noted that hurricanes, “powered by
climate change,” are now “more intense, and more frequent.” Although the total cost of Hurricane Dorian
has not yet been determined, the Secretary-General estimated it would be in the billions of dollars.
U.S. and international humanitarian relief efforts are ongoing. For updates on U.S. emergency relief
efforts, see USAID’s Hurricane Dorian response web page. USAID’s Center for International Disaster
Information also maintains a web page that offers information on how to support relief efforts in the
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Bahamas. For information on international support to the Bahamas, see OCHA’s ReliefWeb web page on
Hurricane Dorian.
Congressional Interest
Many Members of Congress have expressed support for U.S. efforts to provide immediate relief to those
affected in the Bahamas, and some have called for U.S. support for the country’s longer-term recovery
and rebuilding efforts. H.Res. 562, introduced September 18, calls for robust U.S support for recovery
and long-term reconstruction and resilience needs in the Bahamas and urges the President to make
available resources necessary to provide relief, recovery, and reconstruction assistance.
Although the United States has had close economic linkages and cooperative economic relations with the
Bahamas for decades, the Bahamas traditionally has not received significant amounts of U.S. assistance
because of its high per capita income level (over $34,000 in 2018). Nevertheless, cooperation on antidrug
efforts has been a central component of relations, and the Bahamas has received support to counter illicit
trafficking and increase citizen security through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). Beyond
continued support to the Caribbean for the CBSI, the report to the House-passed FY2020 foreign aid
appropriations measure (Division D of H.R. 2740, which references H.Rept. 116-78 to H.R. 2839) directs
that bilateral economic assistance be made available to strengthen resilience to emergencies and disasters
in the Caribbean.
With the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian, some Members also have expressed interest in options
for Bahamians to travel to or remain in the United States. Several bills have been introduced (H.R. 4272,
H.R. 4303, and S. 2478) that would provide Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Bahamian nationals,
although press reports indicate that the Trump Administration does not have plans to designate the
Bahamas for TPS. For more, see CRS Insight IN11166, Immigration Relief Options for Bahamians After
Hurricane Dorian.
For background on U.S. relations with the Bahamas, see CRS In Focus IF10666, The Bahamas.
Author Information
Rhoda Margesson
Mark P. Sullivan
Specialist in International Humanitarian Policy
Specialist in Latin American Affairs
Disclaimer
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This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
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