Hurricane Dorian: Aerial footage shows 'unprecedented' destruction of Bahamas as crews start search for survivors

'We are in the midst of one of the greatest national crises in our country’s history'

Aerial footage taken over the Bahamas has revealed the extraordinary scale of destruction suffered by the islands as a result of Dorian, as emergency teams started the search for survivors.

The footage, showing parts of Great Abaco Island where the hurricane first made landfall with record-equalling force, showed miles of flooded and flattened neighbourhoods. Many buildings had walls torn off by the 185 mph winds that sat unshifting above the Bahamas for around 36 hours, before moving northwest towards the US coastline.

“Victims are being loaded on flatbed trucks across Abaco,” wrote one Twitter user, @mvp242, who posted an image showing bodies strewn across a truck bed.

So far, there have been seven deaths reported by the government, but officials believe the number will increase as emergency teams are able to complete their work.

“We are in the midst of one of the greatest national crises in our country’s history,” prime minister Hubert Minnis told a news conference. “No effort or resources will be held back.”

He added: “We can expect more deaths to be recorded. This is just preliminary information.”

As people picked through the ruins of their property, others used social media to seek information about loved ones who were missing. Reports suggest at least 400,000 people will need immediate supplies of food and other aid.

A Facebook post by media outlet Our News Bahamas seeking the names of missing people had 2,000 comments listing lost family members since it went live on Tuesday, though some of the comments were also about loved ones being found.

LaQuez Williams, pastor at Jubilee Cathedral in Grand Bahama, opened the church as a shelter for some 150 people. As the storm ground on, Mr Williams said that from the higher ground of the church he could see people on their rooftops seeking refuge.

“They were calling for help, but you could not go out to reach,” he said. “It was very difficult because you felt helpless.”

After battering through the Caribbean, Dorian’s wind speeds dropped on Tuesday to make it a Category 2 storm. It maintained that level on Wednesday, but forecasters warned it was still dangerous.

On Wednesday evening, it was moving up the US coast at around 9 mph. The centre of the hurricane was expected to move parallel along Florida’s east coast and then that of Georgia, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Centre. It is forecast to move over the Carolinas on Thursday and Friday.

Florida managed to avoid a direct hit from Dorian, despite initial forecasts that it might strike.

“We certainly got lucky in Florida, and now if we could get lucky in Georgia, in North Carolina, in South Carolina,” Donald Trump said at the White House.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp extended a state of emergency to cover 21 counties. The emergency covers more than 900,000 Georgia residents, of whom over 400,000 have been ordered to evacuate.

Janith Mullings, 66, from Freeport, Grand Bahama, said she had been through hurricanes all her life but had never seen anything like Dorian.

“We’ve never had hurricanes in none of our islands that have experienced the ocean rising like it did. The ocean was something no one could prepare for,” she said.

As many as 13,000 homes in the Bahamas may have been destroyed or severely damaged, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Caroline Turnquest, director general of Bahamas Red Cross. “We know from what we’ve been seeing and hearing, that this one will require the help of all the persons.”

Mr Minnis said residents of Marsh Harbour had suffered “in excess of 60 percent damage to their homes”. Referring to a shanty area known as the Mud, he added: “The Mud, as we know, has been completely destroyed or decimated.”

Additional reporting by Reuters